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Well, church, let's give God some praise.
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Man, God is good.
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He is the one building this church.
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And I'm sitting over there, I'm like, man, how do I preach after this video?
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Just like next week will be two years that we've been in Denver, and man, God's just getting started.
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You might have just jumped in with us.
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You might have been from pre-launch.
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You might have jumped in on launch day.
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But man, I'm grateful that you're part of this church.
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And man, we believe even for this fall that God has some incredible things in store.
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So can we just give a shout out to Noah for that video?
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He put a lot of time into that.
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Come on, Noah.
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And I don't want us to miss what God is doing.
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There's a lot of church plants that I'm I have a lot of friends around the country, and what we're seeing in our church is not the norm.
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And especially for a city like Denver that wants nothing to do with Jesus.
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And I just want to say thank you for believing.
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And I think God has a lot more in store.
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And so today we are celebrating a belated half birthday.
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You know, technically we're seven months in, but we wanted to wait for our college students to come back because a lot of them helped get this off the ground.
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And so this is our belated half birthday.
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We got some cupcakes to celebrate afterwards.
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We got some more baptisms, four more people today going to go in public to say they've gone from death to life through faith in Jesus.
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And so we're celebrating four more females today.
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The females holding it down.
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Come on.
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And that'll happen right after service on our courtyard.
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A couple things coming up.
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This is also our fall kickoff.
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And so I want to highlight a few things coming up because we have some deadlines that are coming up for registrations and stuff.
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And so I'm going to do that at the top of the message, and then we'll jump in today.
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The first thing coming up is our wake gathering.
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So if you are a young adult, 18 to 25, we kick off our first wake gathering September 1st, which is next Tuesday.
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And so they meet at River Church right down the street, uh 7 p.m., our first wake gathering worship message, discussion groups, all the things, and everything coming for the semester as well.
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You'll find out at Wake.
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So don't come alone.
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Make sure you guys grab some people.
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Uh young adults pull up on Tuesday, uh September 1st.
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On the 19th is a Saturday.
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Uh we did this last year.
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We were part of this in our pre-launch season.
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Uh, we do something, we we jump into something that's happening around Lakewood, and it's called Love Lakewood Day.
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And so there's churches, there's nonprofits, there's businesses that adopt different elementary schools to just show up and serve mostly through like landscaping, some manual labor.
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We're gonna get in the dirt, we're gonna help make campuses beautiful.
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And we are adopting last year we were at Rose Stein, so we're showing back up at Rothstein Elementary, and then we got some Rothestein people here, and then we're also gonna be at Patterson, and I know we got some Patterson people here too.
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So we're showing up at those two schools, and what I want to ask our church to do, please register.
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You guys can do that on our event page.
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But I want to see like 50 people each site, and let's just in two hours, 9 to 11 on a Saturday morning, let's just show up, let's show love to these schools and these teachers, and they are a vital part of what God is doing in our city.
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They impact a lot of families, and so we want to show our support.
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Also, we have on the 20th our community group launch.
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And so we believe community matters.
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This is not just a Sunday event.
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We just walked through a whole summer series called More Than a Sunday Faith through the book of James.
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We're not here just to play church and just to show one hour a week, but man, you need community, and we're gonna keep growing.
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Like we're praying that God blesses this, and this is a growing church, and this will outgrow our ability to know whether you are here on a Sunday, to know whether everyone has like a certain need in their life.
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And so the way forward in that, and we see it in the book of Acts, is people met in smaller groups.
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And so we are launching community groups for the first time.
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These will happen in homes during the
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week.
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You'll get a pick your day of the week, which whichever works for you.
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But you'll have to register for that.
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Uh, there's a small price that covers half of the book.
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We're covering half the cost as well.
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And then on the 13th, the week before that, right after service, we'll do something in here called a community group mixer where we'll introduce all of our leaders, the homes, like here's the locations around the city.
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You'll get to go talk to them after service and just get more info on the group, and then you'll be able to pick your top two choices.
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And so we're gonna try our best to get everyone in their top two choices.
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We have wait groups, which are 18 to 25, we have a sixth through 12th group that's gonna be launching.
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So we'll have a student group, we'll have an everybody group, we'll have several everybody groups where it's just all stages of life mixed together, and then we'll have everybody groups that are also kid-friendly thinking through some child care specific things.
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So that's kind of what our community groups look like.
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Those launch the week of the 20th, and the mixers the week before on the 13th.
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I think I got everything.
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And then last but not least, if you're trying to get connected, the the easiest path forward is through crew track, and that also happens right after service on the 20th.
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We feed you Chipotle, we tell you about the story of our church, we help you find where you can take your next step in our church and go from being just a spectator to being a participant in what God's doing.
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So that is what's coming up.
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That's our fall kickoff.
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Lots in store.
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If you forgot everything I just said, cbtdenver.com slash events.
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It's all on there.
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So today I have one of my good friends here that's spending his birthday all the way from Jacksonville, Florida.
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So I know Eric's in here from Jacksonville.
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Anyone else from Jacksonville, Florida?
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Richard was in my wedding, and man, we got to just hang out this weekend.
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They got to go see Estes Park, him and his wife Jess, and so honored that you guys are here.
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But uh as we were talking, I'm like, I'm gonna fit this into my intro this week.
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We had a lot of time to catch up on like everything family, life, all the things.
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We got to talk a lot about CBC.
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I got to brag on you guys as your pastor, and I just want to say, like, I'm blessed to be able to pastor this church.
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I'm blessed for the ways that you guys have supported us.
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And man, I will continue to lay down my life for this church.
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I I love this church.
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As we're driving around the city, I just remember us having conversations about like why CBC Denver, like, why did God lead us to Denver?
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Like a little bit about our story.
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And first, like, we love this city, we love everything about this city.
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I love the mountains, I love the no humidity, I love the no mosquitoes.
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Amen.
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And I love the snow, I love shoveling my driveway.
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I can't wait for that.
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I love the ski season, I love the camping season, I love everything about our city, and even like the bumps and bruises in our city and and the things that we can step in and bring good news to.
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Like, I love that we get to be here as a church to do that.
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There's also a deep spiritual need, and if you're just visiting or you're just like walking around our city, you can tangibly feel the spiritual need in our city.
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There are many people here who are spiritually curious, they're searching for answers, and we believe the gospel has the answers.
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We believe the gospel can meet them where they're at.
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And before we moved here two years ago, I'm like, man, if people are searching and we know the gospel works, to me that's low-hanging fruits.
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People's like, why would you plant a church in Denver?
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It's they call it the church planting graveyard.
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I'm like, I know the gospel works, and I know people are searching for it, and so let's take the good news to them.
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And because of that, like this is a city that needs a lot of Bible-believing churches, gospel preaching churches.
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There's one church for every 32,000 people that actually believes and lives out the Bible and preaches the Bible, one for every 32,000 people.
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That would be a ton of mega churches, right?
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And we don't even have that.
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We need to plant a lot more churches.
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And so, like you said, like you saw in the video, we are invested in missions and future church plants already.
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But the thing I
love most about this city is the people.
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There's this rise and grind culture to Denver where people here are just built different, right?
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Pat yourself on the back, you're just built different.
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You have something different about you.
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You want to do hard things, you want to experience adventure, like you don't want the easy road, you want to make the world your playground and you want to live life to the fullest.
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And that's what I love about Denver.
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And as we were praying to move here, this is what I told Richard.
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I was like, Man, if God can take that spirit of rugged grit, that spirit of adventure, of like, man, tell me, like, point to the highest mountain and I'll climb it.
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Like, if you could take that and then pair that with the gospel, like ignite that with the gospel, can you imagine what God could do in Denver and beyond?
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I believe we would see revival.
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There's a motivation behind a Denverite that's just different.
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And the question I want to start with today is this What is the primary thing that motivates you to get going each day?
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It gets you out of bed, it wakes you up, feet hit the floor.
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What is that primary motivation?
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I think for a lot of us, it can be work, it could be your job.
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Maybe you love your job.
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There's like purpose and fulfillment in what you do, and so that that like lights your fire.
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You go to work and you're passionate about it.
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Maybe it's success.
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So like the job is like a way to get to success, but like you're passionate about a successful life, whatever that looks like, climbing the ladder or you know, working your way up to this kind of role and impact.
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Maybe it's family, you know.
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You go to work to provide for your family, like it's a necessity, but your family is like ultimate.
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So you're trying to put food on the table, you're trying to subs support them.
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Maybe it's approval.
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You know, there's a there's a Strava culture also in in Denver.
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I love it.
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But man, like it could be easy to get up and and go do something just to post it on Strava and get some some likes and some comments, some approval, and we can apply that to a lot of different areas of our life.
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We live for the approval of people.
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Instagram.
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Maybe it's comfort.
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Like I'm working, I'm grinding right now, so that one day, man, I I'm my own boss, right?
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I'm a financial freedom at 50 years old.
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I'm gonna retire early, and so I'm just gonna I'm chasing comfort, but right now I'm gonna grind so I can get the comfort.
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Or maybe it's stability.
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You could have gone through something really hard recently where the rug was just taken out from under your feet.
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Life's not stable.
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So the motivation right now is just trying to make it survive and get to a stable point.
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All of these I think are are good motives.
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But let me ask you this question How many days do you wake up and the motivation is Jesus?
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How many days do I wake up, my feet hit the floor, and I'm here to live for Jesus?
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Like, put all those underneath the umbrella of I'm chasing after Jesus.
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And so by living for Him, yes, I can work, I can have success, I can provide for my family, I can have an approval that's not rooted in people, but in what God says about me, and so on and so on.
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And so today I want to preach a message called Let's get this bread.
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Let's get this bread.
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Now, this phrase is used in a couple different ways, not really anymore, I haven't heard it too much, but basically highlights the rise and grind lifestyle, the the hustle culture, right?
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It's not used as much today, but you used to hear people say things like, All right, it's Monday morning, let's get this bread.
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It's Monday, let's go.
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What are they saying?
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They're saying, All right, new week, let's go make some money, right?
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Let's go grind out success, let's go make something out of this week.
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We might not say that anymore, but we still think it.
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We still live it in a way.
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And I'll just hit pause real quick.
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Is is working hard a bad thing?
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No.
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If you're a Christian in the room, you should be the best employee in your work.
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You should be the hardest worker in your organization.
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We have a duty to through our work to worship Jesus.
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We should be the most loving, the most unifying, the most producing, the hardest work ethic.
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We should be the best employee to the people around us.
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If you're an employer, that should apply to you.
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Like you should be the best employer to the people that work under you.
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But this doesn't come from hustle culture.
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This actually comes from something called kingdom culture.
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The motivation for all of life and ultimate satisfaction that we're all grinding for comes from an entirely different source.
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Today I want to show you what that is.
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So if you have your Bibles, jump into Mark chapter 6.
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Mark chapter 6 is where we'll be today.
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As you're turning there, let me just recap what we've been doing as a church.
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We just got out of James.
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We jumped back into a series in the book of Mark called Real Jesus.
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And it's it's really through the eyes of Peter.
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Mark transcribes it.
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Mark was not a disciple of Jesus, one of the original twelve, but Peter was.
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He was one of the closest ones, and he gives this eyewitness account, and Mark writes it down.
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And so through the eyes of Peter, through the pen of Mark, we get a front row seat to who Jesus actually is.
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That's what this series is all about.
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And we've been breaking it up into seasons and episodes, and we're in season three now, so you can go back and catch up if you want to on our podcast.
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But season one was all about this new Messiah announcing good news.
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Season two, we start to see all these mixed reactions to Jesus.
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Some people were for him, some were against him, some were trying to be neutral.
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You can't really be neutral with Jesus.
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And so there's all these mixed reactions, and then we get to season three, and Jesus starts to get really clear that he's here for a different kingdom.
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And so we titled season three A Different Kingdom.
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So that's where we are today.
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Last week we saw Jesus show up to his hometown Nazareth.
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You can imagine these his family, his friends, his neighbors.
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They watched him grow up.
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And he comes back, he's been doing all these signs and wonders, he announces that he's the Messiah.
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He he teaches out of Isaiah, and he's like, Yeah, that's talking about me.
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And they're like, Hold up, like we
watched you grow up.
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They they reject him.
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They actually tried to throw him off a cliff.
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His neighbors, his friends, his family.
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He's rejected in his hometown.
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And right after that, Jesus sends his disciples out to preach in groups of two.
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And Mark tells us that they preached about repentance, that cast out demons, that healed many sick people.
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And then we get to our story today in verse 30.
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Here's what it says.
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I need my water really quick, by the way.
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I meant to bring that up.
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Still working on this voice from last week, but we're doing better than last week.
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Mark chapter 6, verse 30.
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Says the apostles returned to Jesus and they told him all that they had done and taught.
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Now, I want to pause here.
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The disciples have been following Jesus now for a good minute, right?
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As disciples of a rabbi, they would follow Jesus, they would observe him, they would watch him carefully, and then they would try to do the things that he did.
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They would literally try to have the dust of the rabbi like kick up, they're following so close to him that the dust of the rabbi would kick up on them.
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They're following Jesus as close as they can, but it's still been mostly like a master teacher format.
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And so finally, this is the first time that they've been sent out by Jesus to go and do the things that they learned from him.
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If you're learning to drive a car, it's that moment you go from the permit and the really anxious-inducing like parent in the front seat who probably wants like a brake pedal on their side, you know, kind of thing.
00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:17.860
It's the moment you go from that to like the full-on driver's license.
00:16:18.019 --> 00:16:19.620
I remember getting my driver's license.
00:16:19.700 --> 00:16:21.860
I was like, Mom, do you need milk from the store?
00:16:21.939 --> 00:16:23.299
Like, I'll I'll do whatever you can.
00:16:23.379 --> 00:16:24.740
Like, I want to go drive this car.
00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:26.259
I want this autonomy.
00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:30.740
And so it's this moment, Jesus is like, all right, you guys know what to do.
00:16:31.059 --> 00:16:32.019
Go get them.
00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:44.179
And as you can imagine, they're pretty pumped by all that they saw and they that they did, that God is working these wonders through them, that they're preaching, that they're casting out demons, they're they're healing the sick.
00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:47.059
But while they're away, something else pretty major happened.
00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:51.700
And if you just look right above this paragraph in your Bible, you can kind of see what happens.
00:16:51.860 --> 00:17:03.059
There's a man named Herod who was a ruler, and he had arrested John the Baptist, which was Jesus' cousin, also the forerunner of the Messiah, the one who prepared the way for the Messiah.
00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:10.980
And he arrested John the Baptist sometime before this, but but Herod just ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded.
00:17:11.380 --> 00:17:13.380
And Jesus just got this news.
00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:16.259
And so all of this is going on at the same time.
00:17:16.340 --> 00:17:25.700
You have the excitement of the apostles, you have this confused and you know, just grieving Jesus over his cousin.
00:17:26.260 --> 00:17:28.260
And this is what it happens in verse 31.
00:17:28.340 --> 00:17:32.820
And he says, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.
00:17:33.060 --> 00:17:34.340
Let's just get away.
00:17:34.580 --> 00:17:38.180
For many were coming and going, they had no leisure even to eat.
00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:41.940
And they went away in a boat to a desolate place by themselves.
00:17:42.100 --> 00:17:43.620
Like, imagine that for a second.
00:17:43.700 --> 00:17:46.500
They're so busy, they can't even eat.
00:17:47.140 --> 00:17:47.540
Right?
00:17:47.620 --> 00:17:49.300
Like, fame sounds great.
00:17:49.540 --> 00:17:51.300
Until you have no time for your hummus.
00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:53.300
That's what's happening.
00:17:53.540 --> 00:17:58.660
If you're a parent, like you know, you know these moments, like you and your spouse are trying to have a conversation at the dinner table.
00:17:58.740 --> 00:18:01.220
Like for us, we have a four, two, and one month old.
00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:07.380
And like, it's just like random thoughts at dinner, and we can't get a word in it, let alone a paragraph.
00:18:07.460 --> 00:18:13.780
And we've been in multiple conversations recently where I'm like, we're just gonna have to take this conversation later, like after they go to bed.
00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:15.060
Like, you can't even get it in.
00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:20.500
Like, imagine the disciples, there, there's all this ministry happening, they're just trying to catch up on what happened.
00:18:20.580 --> 00:18:24.180
And so Jesus is like, Hey, let's let's go on a retreat, let's get away.
00:18:24.260 --> 00:18:25.540
You guys have been working hard.
00:18:25.780 --> 00:18:29.540
You just got back from a mission trip, let's go debrief what happened.
00:18:29.780 --> 00:18:31.780
Also, like John just passed away.
00:18:31.860 --> 00:18:33.780
Like, let's go grieve together.
00:18:34.580 --> 00:18:38.100
Let's just get away from the noise, the chaos, the busyness for a second.
00:18:38.340 --> 00:18:42.260
It's like, hey, Siri, directions to a place where we're not gonna see anybody.
00:18:42.420 --> 00:18:43.860
Like, that's essentially what he says.
00:18:44.100 --> 00:18:49.380
And so they get in a boat, just the disciples and Jesus, and it says they head to a desolate place.
00:18:49.860 --> 00:18:51.540
Man, sign me up for that retreat.
00:18:52.020 --> 00:18:55.940
Me and Jesus in a desolate place, I'm all for it.
00:18:57.060 --> 00:18:58.180
Just to be with Jesus.
00:18:58.660 --> 00:19:01.380
By the way, notice that Jesus had rhythms of rest and work.
00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:06.900
So, yes, like we should be the hardest workers, but there is rhythms of rest.
00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:08.820
Let's keep going, verse 33.
00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:15.220
Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and they got there ahead of them.
00:19:16.260 --> 00:19:17.060
What's happening?
00:19:17.140 --> 00:19:19.140
The crowds don't let up.
00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:28.740
They see the disciples, they see Jesus from the shore, and so they keep running parallel to the boat on the shore, trying to keep up, trying to see where he's going.
00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:32.660
And as they're running through each town, just imagine this commotion.
00:19:33.060 --> 00:19:36.020
This this crowd is starting to sound like a mob, right?
00:19:36.180 --> 00:19:40.180
People poking their heads out their their windows and their houses, they're like, What's happening?
00:19:40.580 --> 00:19:44.420
They're like, man, it's Jesus! Like, he's out in the he's out on the shore.
00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:45.380
Like, come on.
00:19:45.700 --> 00:19:48.660
So there's no time for them to like pick up anything important, like food.
00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:58.900
People just see the mob, they're passing by, they jump in, and right here we have the first example in the Bible of a run club.
00:20:00.820 --> 00:20:09.060
So they're they're biblical, and so they're all running to G to Jesus, they're watching him in the water, and when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd.
00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:10.740
Don't miss this, verse 34.
00:20:11.060 --> 00:20:19.300
He saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
00:20:19.860 --> 00:20:22.340
And he began to teach them many things.
00:20:23.540 --> 00:20:30.100
Now we don't know if Jesus got to his actual destination or if he saw the crowd and he's like, Peter, hold up.
00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:31.700
Like, we gotta make a pit stop.
00:20:32.260 --> 00:20:34.340
Like, pull the boat over, we gotta go ashore.
00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:35.540
Like, look at the crowds.
00:20:35.620 --> 00:20:37.700
We don't we don't really know what's happening in this moment.
00:20:38.420 --> 00:20:39.620
But don't miss what happens.
00:20:39.780 --> 00:20:44.660
Jesus gets out of the boat and he's overwhelmed with compassion.
00:20:46.580 --> 00:20:51.860
The God of the universe sees the crowds and he's moved.
00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:55.300
Don't forget that their
plans are interrupted.
00:20:55.620 --> 00:20:57.300
They're they're headed to a retreat.
00:20:57.780 --> 00:21:01.380
Don't forget that they're exhausted, they've just got back from a mission trip.
00:21:02.100 --> 00:21:08.420
Don't forget that Jesus just lost his cousin John the Baptist, and still Jesus stops.
00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:11.300
Still Jesus has compassion.
00:21:12.020 --> 00:21:19.140
Still, Jesus sees them and not just sees them in a way that just glosses over it, but sees them in a way that responds.
00:21:19.540 --> 00:21:25.060
When most of us would have compassion fatigue, do you remember that word during COVID?
00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:28.580
Like I heard that word all the time, compassion fatigue.
00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:37.060
Nurses can can struggle with like you're if you're always dealing with people who are sick and hurt and who are just needy, like man, it can wear on you.
00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:46.180
When most of us would have compassion fatigue, unable to feel empathy for someone because we're so exhausted, we're so emotionally drained, we're looking for some me time and some self-care.
00:21:46.340 --> 00:21:47.860
What does Jesus do?
00:21:48.260 --> 00:21:50.180
Jesus still puts people first.
00:21:50.900 --> 00:21:55.780
He came to serve, not to be served.
00:21:56.580 --> 00:22:02.740
Verse 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, This is a desolate place, the hour is now late.
00:22:02.980 --> 00:22:08.020
Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.
00:22:08.260 --> 00:22:11.620
But he answered them, You give them something to eat.
00:22:12.260 --> 00:22:17.060
I love how the disciples' reaction to the problem was Hey, Jesus, send them away.
00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:19.140
We got a big problem, it's only going to get bigger.
00:22:19.540 --> 00:22:20.740
The longer we wait, Jesus.
00:22:20.820 --> 00:22:22.580
It's time to like let the people go.
00:22:23.700 --> 00:22:25.620
Are we not just like the disciples?
00:22:26.580 --> 00:22:28.180
Man, that's not my problem.
00:22:29.620 --> 00:22:31.460
That's gonna cost too much.
00:22:31.860 --> 00:22:34.340
That's gonna be too much of an inconvenience.
00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:36.660
I don't have time.
00:22:37.060 --> 00:22:38.900
But what was Jesus' reaction?
00:22:39.220 --> 00:22:41.460
No, you feed them.
00:22:42.100 --> 00:22:45.300
He said, This is an opportunity to serve.
00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:50.980
And they said to him, Shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?
00:22:51.140 --> 00:22:54.900
Translation, they're like, Jesus, that's gonna cost 200 days of paychecks?
00:22:55.060 --> 00:22:57.220
A denari is one day's worth of wages.
00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:59.460
They're like, We can't feed all these people.
00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:01.700
How do you expect this to happen?
00:23:02.020 --> 00:23:04.740
Verse 38, and he says to them, How many loaves do
you have?
00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:05.860
Go and see.
00:23:06.340 --> 00:23:09.620
And when they had found out, they said, Five and two fish.
00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:12.980
And then he commanded them to all sit down in groups on the green grass.
00:23:13.140 --> 00:23:15.860
So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties.
00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:23.940
In John's Gospel, we find out that Andrew goes and finds a boy who had five small barley loaves and two small fish.
00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:25.460
That's it.
00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:30.340
Thousands of people, five loaves, two fish.
00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:31.300
That's all they got.
00:23:33.300 --> 00:23:36.180
Parents, I know some of you packed lunches for your kids.
00:23:37.300 --> 00:23:39.380
Just imagine this boy's mom.
00:23:39.540 --> 00:23:43.380
Like, she had no idea what was about to happen that day when she made that lunch.
00:23:44.580 --> 00:23:46.100
Parents, you never know.
00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:48.420
Make that lunch good.
00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:55.060
The disciples put this tiny lunch, this Hebrew lunchable, into the hands of Jesus.
00:23:55.380 --> 00:23:57.540
And watch what happens next.
00:23:58.180 --> 00:23:59.060
Verse 41.
00:23:59.220 --> 00:24:07.700
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing, and he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
00:24:07.860 --> 00:24:12.820
And he divided the two fish among them all, and they all ate and were satisfied.
00:24:13.220 --> 00:24:14.340
Verse 43.
00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:21.700
And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish, and those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:24.660
Now just counting the men, there's five thousand people.
00:24:24.900 --> 00:24:31.700
Most people believe if you add up the women and the children, there's close to twenty thousand people here on this day.
00:24:31.940 --> 00:24:35.220
So it's not the feeding of the five thousand, it's the feeding of the twenty thousand.
00:24:35.300 --> 00:24:36.900
It's the feeding of ballerina.
00:24:37.220 --> 00:24:37.700
Right?
00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:42.580
I I looked up the nuggets like max capacity sellout, it's like 19,500 people.
00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:48.820
So more than it could fit into ballerina at a sellout nuggets game, is how many people are here on this day.
00:24:49.060 --> 00:24:55.860
And after everyone had eaten and was satisfied, translation, they just had Thanksgiving dinner.
00:24:56.100 --> 00:24:59.380
Like they're not just nibbling on some, like Jesus fed them.
00:24:59.540 --> 00:25:00.740
They were stuffed.
00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:04.260
After all that, they had more left over than what they started with.
00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:10.260
And they collected 12 baskets full of leftovers, like hint, one for each disciple.
00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:15.860
Twelve is a pretty common number, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples.
00:25:16.100 --> 00:25:17.140
And we'll come back to that.
00:25:17.300 --> 00:25:30.740
Outside of this miracle of the resurrection, outside of the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus, what I want you to see is the feeding of the 5,000, the 20,000, is the only miracle that all four gospel writers talk about outside of the resurrection.
00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:32.660
They knew how important this was.
00:25:32.820 --> 00:25:34.100
They knew what this meant.
00:25:34.260 --> 00:25:36.740
So Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they all tell this story.
00:25:36.820 --> 00:25:37.700
This was a big deal.
00:25:37.860 --> 00:25:42.740
And when this miracle happens, the crowds know exactly what Jesus is claiming.
00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:49.460
So I'm trying to bridge this gap to us in 2026, but like they would know exactly what was happening.
00:25:49.700 --> 00:26:03.700
They know the stories about Moses and the children of Israel in the wilderness, how God supernaturally fed his people by providing bread from heaven that was called manna every single day for a nation that was nearly two to three million people.
00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:09.780
In the wilderness, after they came out of slavery of Egypt, God fed them in the wilderness.
00:26:10.420 --> 00:26:15.060
God also sent ravens to feed the prophet Elijah in the desert.
00:26:15.300 --> 00:26:18.580
How many of you want your meal, your next meal to come from a raven?
00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:20.340
Elijah was there.
00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:29.060
And then he had a follower that came after him, another prophet named Elisha, and he would multiply bread to feed his 100 men in the wilderness.
00:26:29.300 --> 00:26:33.620
So food in the desert was a thread all throughout the history of God's people.
00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:40.900
And the Jews believed that the messianic age would see the return of bread from heaven, just like the manna in the wilderness.
00:26:41.060 --> 00:26:45.780
And so the moment this happens, like all the sirens are going off in their mind.
00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:53.940
They know exactly what Jesus is saying, that he is the Messiah, he has come to usher in the days of salvation, the king is here, and his kingdom is now.
00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:55.620
This is what Jesus is saying.
00:26:55.780 --> 00:26:57.540
Here's the main idea for today.
00:26:57.780 --> 00:27:00.100
Jesus is the bread from heaven.
00:27:01.060 --> 00:27:04.500
They don't realize that yet, but that's what Jesus is saying.
00:27:04.820 --> 00:27:07.380
Jesus is the bread from heaven.
00:27:07.540 --> 00:27:08.820
He is the true manna.
00:27:09.860 --> 00:27:11.620
Now, how does the crowd respond?
00:27:11.780 --> 00:27:21.060
We don't get that in we got to piece that together in Mark, but if you look over in John, the crowd in this moment tries to come and take Jesus by force and make him king.
00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:24.020
They're like, man, he he provided bread like that?
00:27:24.260 --> 00:27:28.020
Can you imagine if
we just make can you imagine what he could do for us as king?
00:27:28.260 --> 00:27:31.140
They try to make him for like king by force.
00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:34.180
They knew the claim, but they misunderstood the kingdom.
00:27:34.340 --> 00:27:36.420
And Jesus doesn't give in to their demands.
00:27:36.580 --> 00:27:37.700
He's here for a purpose.
00:27:37.780 --> 00:27:42.340
He's not here to be served, but he's here to serve and to give his life as a ransom.
00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:47.940
He came so that we might taste and eat of the bread of life.
00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:52.820
Jesus came so you could taste of eternal life.
00:27:53.060 --> 00:27:56.660
Jesus is the bread from heaven that leads to eternal life.
00:27:56.900 --> 00:28:02.260
And so with our remaining time today, I want to pull out four principles and four implications for us today.
00:28:02.500 --> 00:28:04.180
Four principles and four implications.
00:28:04.340 --> 00:28:08.580
Number one, the first principle is a real compassion.
00:28:08.820 --> 00:28:11.380
What we see in the story is a real compassion.
00:28:11.620 --> 00:28:12.900
Verse 34.
00:28:13.700 --> 00:28:20.900
When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:23.860
Think about sheep for a moment, they're pretty dumb.
00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:26.020
They need a shepherd.
00:28:26.180 --> 00:28:31.620
They're pretty, I mean, they they can't, there's no offensive weapons given to a sheep, right?
00:28:32.420 --> 00:28:34.420
They'd rely on that shepherd.
00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:37.700
If they fall on their back, they can't even like flip over.
00:28:38.820 --> 00:28:41.540
Like that's pretty that's pretty pathetic, right?
00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:52.580
They rely on a shepherd to lead him to grass, to lead him to water, to protect them from wolves and predators, to heal like wounds and stuff so it doesn't get infected.
00:28:53.940 --> 00:28:56.660
He sees the crowds like sheep without a shepherd.
00:28:56.900 --> 00:28:57.700
He has compassion.
00:28:57.780 --> 00:29:02.580
The word for compassion is only used in the New Testament by Jesus or about Jesus.
00:29:05.060 --> 00:29:10.820
It's a deep awareness of the suffering of another person, but that's not that's not the full definition.
00:29:11.140 --> 00:29:16.180
It's that deep awareness, but it's combined with a strong active desire to help ease that pain.
00:29:16.340 --> 00:29:18.580
So it's empathy that moves to action.
00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:20.500
There's no room for passivity.
00:29:21.460 --> 00:29:23.220
It's real compassion.
00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:28.260
In the Old Testament, God's people, they're often referred to as sheep whom God cares for.
00:29:28.420 --> 00:29:30.500
Like He is the ultimate shepherd.
00:29:30.660 --> 00:29:34.580
And the leaders God would raise up were called to be shepherds of his people.
00:29:34.820 --> 00:29:38.260
Same analogy in the New Testament for pastors in the church.
00:29:38.580 --> 00:29:40.420
There's a theme here, right?
00:29:41.220 --> 00:29:46.740
But many times those Old Testament leaders didn't lead people to God, but they actually led people away from God.
00:29:46.980 --> 00:29:48.740
They were poor shepherds.
00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:53.380
And so God in that moment would say that his people were like sheep without a shepherd.
00:29:53.540 --> 00:29:56.580
What they needed was a real shepherd, a good shepherd.
00:29:56.740 --> 00:30:04.660
And when Jesus looks at the crowd, he can feel all of their distress, all of their spiritual anxiety.
00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:10.100
I think when he looks at our church, whatever you're walking through, he can feel that.
00:30:10.660 --> 00:30:12.740
But it doesn't just stay there.
00:30:12.900 --> 00:30:17.300
He's not a God that's just like, man, sucks for them.
00:30:18.020 --> 00:30:19.700
He's a God that moves to action.
00:30:19.860 --> 00:30:25.460
Dietrich Bonhoeffer says this about that state of spiritual anxiety that Jesus sees.
00:30:25.540 --> 00:30:27.780
He says there were questions, but there were no answers.
00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:29.780
There was distress, but there was no relief.
00:30:29.860 --> 00:30:32.340
There was anguish of conscience, but no deliverance.
00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:35.700
There was tears, but no consolation, sin but no forgiveness.
00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:40.660
He looks out at the sheep and they are hopeless, just like you and me.
00:30:41.620 --> 00:30:44.500
Stuck in our sin with no way out.
00:30:46.020 --> 00:30:48.500
But no one has a compassion like Jesus.
00:30:48.820 --> 00:30:57.060
Which means, here's the implication Jesus not only sees your need, some of you don't even believe that.
00:30:57.700 --> 00:30:58.660
But he sees it.
00:30:58.820 --> 00:31:06.340
He not only sees your need, but he also, in your need, he moves to compassion out of extreme love for you.
00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:14.500
That's the whole reason he left heaven, by the way, to come to earth, moved by compassion for his people that wanted we said thanks, but no thanks.
00:31:14.580 --> 00:31:16.180
We wanted nothing to do with God.
00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:18.660
And out of compassion, he came to earth.
00:31:18.900 --> 00:31:21.060
I want to say today he sees you.
00:31:22.100 --> 00:31:24.180
Man, I don't know what you're going through.
00:31:24.420 --> 00:31:28.180
I have talked with so many people in the last couple weeks.
00:31:28.420 --> 00:31:42.820
I mean, miscarriages, like doubting faith, like does God see me, financial situations, like loved ones who are really sick, people caring for older parents.
00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:45.300
And the list goes on.
00:31:46.580 --> 00:31:50.100
People losing family members, like, does God see me?
00:31:50.340 --> 00:31:50.980
Yes.
00:31:51.380 --> 00:31:53.620
He absolutely sees you.
00:31:54.020 --> 00:31:55.700
And he doesn't stop there.
00:31:56.100 -->
00:31:58.820
He sees you and he moves toward you.
00:31:59.300 --> 00:32:02.180
Even if you're doubting your faith, he's still moving towards you.
00:32:02.340 --> 00:32:05.380
Even if you feel like you're moving away from him, he's running after you.
00:32:05.700 --> 00:32:06.980
He sees you.
00:32:07.700 --> 00:32:10.260
These people are not even there for the right reasons, right?
00:32:10.420 --> 00:32:14.180
They don't fully understand the Messiah, and yet he still moves toward them.
00:32:14.660 --> 00:32:22.500
And if that's true about Jesus, that should be true about us, for the people in our life, for the church that we have all around us, our community.
00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:25.140
We should have the same compassion for people.
00:32:25.540 --> 00:32:29.300
The second one I want to show you is an impossible situation.
00:32:29.620 --> 00:32:30.820
An impossible situation.
00:32:30.900 --> 00:32:32.500
I can just picture Jesus.
00:32:32.740 --> 00:32:35.060
It says he's teaching them about the kingdom.
00:32:35.300 --> 00:32:37.380
And the disciples are watching his sermon clock.
00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:38.740
It's getting a little late.
00:32:38.980 --> 00:32:43.140
They're like, man, like if he goes any longer, we're gonna be in real trouble here.
00:32:43.380 --> 00:32:44.900
They know people are gonna be hungry.
00:32:44.980 --> 00:32:48.260
They present the problem to Jesus, and he's like, you guys figure it out.
00:32:48.900 --> 00:32:51.860
And I can just think, they're like, oh, good one, Jesus.
00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:53.860
He that's a joke, right?
00:32:54.020 --> 00:32:55.460
He's like, No, I'm serious.
00:32:55.780 --> 00:32:58.420
You guys go feed him now.
00:32:58.580 --> 00:33:01.300
Why would he put them up to such an impossible task?
00:33:01.860 --> 00:33:02.580
You thought about that?
00:33:02.740 --> 00:33:02.980
Why?
00:33:03.460 --> 00:33:05.300
Obviously, they can't feed the people.
00:33:05.860 --> 00:33:08.100
Why would Jesus even ask such a thing?
00:33:09.220 --> 00:33:10.740
Because he's testing them.
00:33:12.340 --> 00:33:16.420
And it's not just a test, it's actually also an invitation.
00:33:17.380 --> 00:33:18.180
Think about this.
00:33:18.340 --> 00:33:20.900
He has the disciples go organize all the people.
00:33:21.700 --> 00:33:24.980
He has the disciples go find out just how much food is in the crowd.
00:33:25.860 --> 00:33:29.380
He even has the disciples distribute the food once Jesus multiplies it.
00:33:29.860 --> 00:33:33.940
So Jesus is the one doing the impossible, Jesus is the one doing the supernatural.
00:33:34.260 --> 00:33:36.420
But what does he do with the disciples?
00:33:36.740 --> 00:33:39.140
He invites them to be a part of it.
00:33:39.860 --> 00:33:41.540
Just like you and me.
00:33:42.180 --> 00:33:43.780
Did Jesus need their help?
00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:45.460
Clearly not.
00:33:46.100 --> 00:33:51.540
There's one miracle he does where he just tells the dad, like, hey, go home,
like your loved one's gonna be fine.
00:33:51.780 --> 00:33:53.380
He heals them from a distance.
00:33:53.540 --> 00:33:57.460
Like he doesn't need their help, but he wants their help.
00:33:57.700 --> 00:33:58.900
He wants your help.
00:33:59.140 --> 00:34:03.540
He wants to invite you in, and here's the implication from this impossible situation.
00:34:03.780 --> 00:34:07.380
And for every impossible situation you find yourself in, here's the implication.
00:34:07.700 --> 00:34:16.179
God always invites us into the impossible to partner in his work, his kingdom work, and to partner for his glory.
00:34:16.739 --> 00:34:21.780
God always invites us into the impossible to partner in his kingdom work and for his glory.
00:34:22.820 --> 00:34:26.019
I just want to apply this to your job for a second.
00:34:26.659 --> 00:34:41.700
Whether you're a teacher, a counselor, whether you have a staff, whatever it is, a nurse, an engineer, stay-at-home mom, stay-at-home dad, like I don't know what your role is.
00:34:41.860 --> 00:34:47.380
That's your job has it actually is more than just a paycheck.
00:34:47.460 --> 00:34:50.420
Like you don't work for the one who signed your paycheck.
00:34:50.740 --> 00:34:58.099
God's given you that to invite you into this impossible task for his kingdom work and for his glory.
00:34:58.740 --> 00:35:07.860
The school you go to is not just to like get a piece of paper on the wall that says you learned some things or some extra letters by your name.
00:35:08.500 --> 00:35:14.099
Like you go to a school, a campus where hundreds of people don't know about Jesus, they don't have the bread of life.
00:35:14.820 --> 00:35:22.420
And so God is inviting you into this impossible situation on your school campus to do something about it with him and for his glory.
00:35:22.660 --> 00:35:24.099
What about marriage?
00:35:25.940 --> 00:35:30.260
Marriage is taking two sinful people with jacked up past.
00:35:30.820 --> 00:35:34.579
And whether you think you have baggage or not, everyone brings baggage into marriage.
00:35:34.980 --> 00:35:37.539
Everyone has like childhood wounds that you bring into marriage.
00:35:37.780 --> 00:35:45.539
Everyone has like imperfect parents, taught you imperfect things, that you're gonna you're gonna be like your parents in your own marriage.
00:35:46.340 --> 00:35:48.420
Like that's an impossible task.
00:35:48.820 --> 00:35:56.019
Two selfish sinners put together as one flesh, and Jesus says, Hey, go model the gospel.
00:35:56.180 --> 00:36:00.740
Outdo one another and how you submit to each other and love each other and serve each other and sacrifice for each other.
00:36:00.900 --> 00:36:04.660
That seems like an impossible task, but what's God doing through marriage?
00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:09.539
He's inviting you into this impossible task where he can get all the glory.
00:36:09.780 --> 00:36:17.300
I remember when I met Hannah, I was like, Man, for the first time I found a girl that I could
date and pursue for marriage.
00:36:17.460 --> 00:36:21.300
That I'm like, man, I can do more for the kingdom with her than I could apart.
00:36:22.500 --> 00:36:24.500
That's how I knew she was the one.
00:36:25.059 --> 00:36:31.220
That together our lives would would count more, would have a greater impact for the kingdom than if we just stayed apart.
00:36:31.780 --> 00:36:33.460
What about parenting?
00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:38.260
Man, God has given you some little sinners to parents.
00:36:40.260 --> 00:36:43.460
And contrary to what you believe, the Bible says we're born in sin.
00:36:43.619 --> 00:36:49.380
So they are you don't have to teach them how to be selfish, you don't have to teach them how to steal, you don't have to teach them how to lie.
00:36:49.619 --> 00:36:53.059
Like we're just entering that phase now with our four-year-old.
00:36:54.900 --> 00:36:56.500
But man, what an impossible task.
00:36:56.660 --> 00:36:59.380
You are powerless to change a child's heart.
00:37:00.900 --> 00:37:02.099
To anyone's heart.
00:37:03.059 --> 00:37:14.099
And yet God is inviting you into this impossible task to partner with him in molding and shaping this child, to know God, to love him, to learn and obey him.
00:37:14.980 --> 00:37:18.500
You know, in your singleness, some of you are in this season.
00:37:19.059 --> 00:37:21.380
Man, it it feels like an impossible task.
00:37:21.460 --> 00:37:25.940
Man, I'm I'm lonely, I'm looking, I'm praying.
00:37:26.500 --> 00:37:29.539
God, what are you trying to do in my singleness?
00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:34.500
He's He's inviting you into something with His kingdom work and for His glory.
00:37:36.579 --> 00:37:41.220
It's an impossible situation, but it always comes with an invitation.
00:37:41.460 --> 00:37:44.340
Number three is an inadequate resource.
00:37:44.660 --> 00:37:45.940
An inadequate resource.
00:37:46.019 --> 00:37:50.180
After the disciples survey the whole crowd, they come up with five loaves and two fish.
00:37:50.340 --> 00:37:51.460
That's all they have.
00:37:51.940 --> 00:37:52.740
And you know what?
00:37:52.820 --> 00:37:54.420
Jesus didn't even need that.
00:37:56.260 --> 00:38:02.019
I mean, if he wanted to, Jesus could rain down sourdough and sushi, and they they would have a banquet, right?
00:38:02.820 --> 00:38:07.539
But he uses their inadequate resources to incorporate them in the miracle.
00:38:08.260 --> 00:38:09.780
That's why he invites them.
00:38:09.940 --> 00:38:10.900
And what happens?
00:38:11.059 --> 00:38:14.180
With five loaves and two fish, he feeds 20,000 people.
00:38:15.059 --> 00:38:21.059
Their inadequacy, the things that they brought, the little that they had, didn't even phase Jesus.
00:38:21.220 --> 00:38:24.660
Sometimes I think we're even scared to bring what we have to Jesus.
00:38:25.539 --> 00:38:30.420
Or maybe we take, like, maybe we're like just too tight-fisted with what he's entrusted to us.
00:38:32.579 --> 00:38:35.140
I was trying to
think of a comparison for this story.
00:38:35.220 --> 00:38:38.099
Like, help help bring the cookies to the bottom shelf for us today.
00:38:38.420 --> 00:38:39.460
Imagine this.
00:38:39.619 --> 00:38:41.300
Like they're in a wilderness.
00:38:42.019 --> 00:38:44.260
Imagine this, they're in a wilderness.
00:38:44.740 --> 00:38:50.579
Jesus takes a dry, desolate, barren wilderness, and he turns it into a bucky's.
00:38:52.019 --> 00:38:53.619
That's what happens.
00:38:53.940 --> 00:38:54.980
Endless supply.
00:38:55.140 --> 00:38:56.579
You guys have been to a Bucky's?
00:38:57.140 --> 00:39:01.700
Man, you walk in just like, holy cow, I never want to leave this place.
00:39:01.860 --> 00:39:03.460
Forget the road trip, right?
00:39:04.420 --> 00:39:08.500
There's no one in the history of ever who's walked into a Bucky's and left disappointed.
00:39:08.579 --> 00:39:09.940
That's a fact, right?
00:39:10.579 --> 00:39:14.900
You got the beaver nuggets, the brisket tacos, the drinks, the coffee.
00:39:15.140 --> 00:39:18.660
And you got pajamas, you got souvenirs.
00:39:19.140 --> 00:39:21.059
Bucky's is an endless supply.
00:39:21.140 --> 00:39:24.099
And man, some of you have like, I've never been in a Bucky's.
00:39:24.340 --> 00:39:28.340
Even if you never walk in a Bucky's, I guarantee you, you didn't have to wait for a gas pump.
00:39:28.500 --> 00:39:31.220
Because they got like 247 of them outside.
00:39:31.619 --> 00:39:33.460
Bucky's is amazing.
00:39:34.099 --> 00:39:38.340
And in a way, that's what happens in the wilderness.
00:39:38.740 --> 00:39:42.500
God takes barren and dry and brings endless supply.
00:39:42.660 --> 00:39:45.140
Here's the implication number three.
00:39:45.380 --> 00:39:48.740
What little you have becomes much in the hands of Jesus.
00:39:50.980 --> 00:39:53.460
Some of you like, man, I'm just a single parent.
00:39:54.420 --> 00:39:58.579
I'm trying to make it like what little you have becomes much in the hands of Jesus.
00:39:59.539 --> 00:40:01.220
Some of you are working two or three jobs.
00:40:01.380 --> 00:40:04.180
You're like, man, keep going.
00:40:04.579 --> 00:40:09.700
Mom, dad, whatever, whoever that is, like, keep what little you have becomes much in the hands of Jesus.
00:40:10.579 --> 00:40:14.260
Those hard, like stay-at-home hours with the kids all day.
00:40:15.140 --> 00:40:17.059
Man, give those put those in the hands of Jesus.
00:40:17.140 --> 00:40:18.420
What can he do with it?
00:40:20.740 --> 00:40:25.300
Are you willing to put what you have in Jesus' hands so he can multiply and use it?
00:40:25.619 --> 00:40:32.579
Here's the thing many times I think God wants to incorporate us in the miracle he's doing, and we miss out because we simply don't trust him.
00:40:33.539 --> 00:40:35.539
We won't put it into his hands.
00:40:35.860 --> 00:40:41.300
We don't trust him enough to like let go of what we have and to put it in his hands.
00:40:41.539 --> 00:40:46.900
Or we don't trust that he's actually big enough that my little thing can become something even greater in his hands.
00:40:47.140 --> 00:40:58.500
My inadequate prayers, like my time, talent, and treasure, my finances, my home, my TV.
00:40:59.460 --> 00:41:02.420
Man, you guys have some a football season starting, right?
00:41:02.579 --> 00:41:04.420
Some Broncos, some college football.
00:41:04.980 --> 00:41:06.579
Man, you know how to reach your neighbors?
00:41:06.740 --> 00:41:07.300
Invite them.
00:41:07.539 --> 00:41:08.420
Use your TV.
00:41:08.820 --> 00:41:10.340
Invite them over to your home.
00:41:10.820 --> 00:41:14.740
Use the resources you have, what little you have in the hands of Jesus, he can use.
00:41:15.380 --> 00:41:18.019
My mind, some of you are so smart.
00:41:18.340 --> 00:41:22.180
Like, what could God do if you actually gave him your mind to use for the kingdom?
00:41:22.260 --> 00:41:31.220
I know somebody who left their profession to start their own business, and they're developing an app and technology to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
00:41:31.460 --> 00:41:32.820
And they already know the end date.
00:41:32.900 --> 00:41:34.579
They're like, it's gonna happen by this date.
00:41:34.740 --> 00:41:40.500
Through this tech, like putting their mind and all the things God's blessed them with into the hands of Jesus.
00:41:40.900 --> 00:41:43.780
You can trust God with your inadequate resources.
00:41:44.099 --> 00:41:46.420
God doesn't work on girl math, by the way.
00:41:47.780 --> 00:41:49.460
That's for my wife.
00:41:50.099 --> 00:41:51.700
Y'all know girl math.
00:41:52.019 --> 00:41:58.740
Girl math makes you think you're winning, makes you think you're getting a deal, but it's still costing you more in the end.
00:41:58.820 --> 00:41:59.220
Amen.
00:41:59.380 --> 00:41:59.940
Husbands?
00:42:02.180 --> 00:42:03.380
God's math is different.
00:42:03.539 --> 00:42:06.420
It doesn't cost you more in the end, you get an upgrade.
00:42:07.140 --> 00:42:10.340
Like he takes what little you have and he turns it into much.
00:42:10.820 --> 00:42:12.740
Put it in the hands of Jesus.
00:42:13.059 --> 00:42:15.860
Number four, in abundant provision.
00:42:16.900 --> 00:42:23.460
In abundant provision, Jesus hosts a banquet in the middle of the wilderness.
00:42:23.780 --> 00:42:27.539
There's some eschatological references, that means like end times.
00:42:27.860 --> 00:42:41.380
There's some eschatological references here because one day Jesus will host a banquet for the redeemed, for his church, where we'll be with him, the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven, in eternity.
00:42:41.860 --> 00:42:45.140
And he's just showing us a glimpse of what it's going to be like.
00:42:45.940 --> 00:42:48.660
But I want you to notice the abundance.
00:42:51.780 --> 00:42:54.900
The disciples are left with more than they had to start with.
00:42:55.140 --> 00:42:57.380
Go back to the question that Jesus asked his disciples.
00:42:57.539 -->
00:42:58.980
Why don't you feed them?
00:42:59.380 --> 00:43:01.059
They're in the middle of the desert.
00:43:01.300 --> 00:43:02.420
They got nothing.
00:43:02.660 --> 00:43:05.539
What was Jesus trying to teach his disciples?
00:43:07.380 --> 00:43:11.700
That you may be in a desolate place, but if you have Jesus, you lack nothing.
00:43:12.180 --> 00:43:14.019
So here's the implication.
00:43:14.420 --> 00:43:24.340
Sometimes following Jesus leads you to a desolate place so you can remember that Jesus is all you have.
00:43:25.860 --> 00:43:27.380
That he's all you need.
00:43:28.340 --> 00:43:30.019
If you have Jesus, you have everything.
00:43:30.180 --> 00:43:32.420
If you have Jesus, you lack nothing.
00:43:34.820 --> 00:43:39.220
He came that we may have life and life abundantly.
00:43:39.460 --> 00:43:43.700
I don't think that was a cliche, I think that was a promise that he gave us.
00:43:44.740 --> 00:43:47.460
Have you tasted and seen that he is that good?
00:43:48.260 --> 00:43:52.180
In the desolate place, have you looked to Jesus?
00:43:52.420 --> 00:43:55.140
The bread from heaven, the true manna.
00:43:56.420 --> 00:44:01.860
Maybe it's been a long time, but he has abundant provision for you.
00:44:02.420 --> 00:44:10.500
And in your toil and your striving, and you're like chasing, like you can't produce the abundance that he has waiting for you.
00:44:10.900 --> 00:44:12.500
All you have to do is run to Jesus.
00:44:12.579 --> 00:44:15.220
All you have to do is look to him, to turn to him.
00:44:15.940 --> 00:44:18.099
So here's the big takeaway I want to leave us with today.
00:44:18.180 --> 00:44:21.460
The answer to your hunger isn't more blank.
00:44:22.340 --> 00:44:25.619
You can fill the blank in with whatever you're chasing.
00:44:26.019 --> 00:44:31.940
The answer to your hunger, your craving, the thing that you think will satisfy you isn't more of that.
00:44:32.260 --> 00:44:34.019
The answer is Jesus.
00:44:35.380 --> 00:44:38.740
Have you tasted and seen that he is good?
00:44:38.980 --> 00:44:42.260
Have you eaten of the bread of life that leads to eternal life?
00:44:42.579 --> 00:44:44.579
Has he changed your life in that way?
00:44:44.820 --> 00:44:49.460
Because when you have Jesus, the bread of life, you live with a different level of compassion for people.
00:44:49.619 --> 00:45:00.579
One that doesn't just see people as scenery or machinery, but actually moves in compassion to help people, to lay down your life, to not even count the cost, but just to serve people.
00:45:00.740 --> 00:45:05.539
When you have Jesus, the bread of life, you're invited into being part of the impossible.
00:45:06.019 --> 00:45:08.900
I love the movie Mission Impossible, right?
00:45:09.860 --> 00:45:11.860
This is an impossible mission.
00:45:12.180 --> 00:45:15.220
But man, you feel like you gotta be a part of it.
00:45:16.019 --> 00:45:19.940
And Jesus is trying to save this world, salvation.
00:45:20.500 --> 00:45:24.500
And he could have written in the clouds, he could have done whatever he wanted, but what did he do?
00:45:24.740 --> 00:45:26.900
He invited the church into this mission.
00:45:27.140 --> 00:45:30.340
We weren't plan B, plan C, plan Z, you know, whatever.
00:45:30.500 --> 00:45:33.220
We're plan A, or his plan A to reach the world.
00:45:33.380 --> 00:45:34.900
You're invited into being part of that.
00:45:34.980 --> 00:45:37.860
You get to partner with him in his kingdom work and for his glory.
00:45:38.019 --> 00:45:42.980
Your inadequate resources, your weaknesses become much in the hands of Jesus.
00:45:43.140 --> 00:45:52.019
You become a steward of what he's given you, and then you get to rest in the abundant provision and the faithfulness of Jesus, even in the most desolate places.
00:45:52.820 --> 00:46:02.980
So, church, I don't know here today, but know this: Jesus is the bread from heaven, Jesus is the manna that never runs out.
00:46:03.300 --> 00:46:10.099
Turn to him today, and the answer to your hunger isn't more blank, the answer is Jesus.
00:46:10.340 --> 00:46:11.539
Let's pray.
00:46:11.860 --> 00:46:26.180
Father, today we come before you, just acknowledging that you are the Messiah, you are the provider, you are the sustainer, God, you are the promise keeper.
00:46:27.140 --> 00:46:33.380
God, even in desolate places, even in the dry wilderness, God, you show up.
00:46:33.860 --> 00:46:40.420
And there is abundance, there is answers, there is hope, there is eternal life.
00:46:40.740 --> 00:46:43.539
So, God, today, would we turn to you in a fresh way?
00:46:44.019 --> 00:46:48.420
God, would you allow us to have real compassion?
00:46:49.300 --> 00:46:54.579
God, would you take our inadequate resources and turn them into much when we place them in your hands?
00:46:54.820 --> 00:46:59.380
And God, help us to rest in the abundant life that you have promised to give us.
00:46:59.700 --> 00:47:04.099
So when people look at us, God, they would see not us, but something different about us.
00:47:04.260 --> 00:47:07.619
They would see you living through our life.
00:47:09.300 --> 00:47:13.940
God, I pray for anyone in this room today that does not know you, that has never tasted of the bread of life.
00:47:14.180 --> 00:47:16.180
God, would you draw them to yourself today?
00:47:16.340 --> 00:47:17.940
In Jesus' name.