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My great-grandmother, Nora Lunigan, if she would have known that her great-great-grandson just did,

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what was that song we just did? What a friend I have in Jesus?

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She would be jumping pews in glory, I'm telling you.

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She was a little Pentecostal woman that prayed for me and Pastor Rick when we were in the womb.

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so we didn't have a chance.

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We should have give up a long time ago.

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That's one thing about them grandmas, right?

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They won't shut up, so you might as well give up.

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So if your grandma, just keep it on, keep bringing it on.

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Well, if you have a Bible, we're going to be in the ninth chapter of Luke,

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and we may be there until the Lord comes, not sure,

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but I'm going to look at the feeding of the 5,000.

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and I've titled the message depending on God.

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And I don't know about you, but I need to depend on him because he's dependable.

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And so we've been going through this.

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And last time we looked at Herod, who had gone too far in his life, it seems, away from the Lord.

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Now, I can't stand here and say that Herod's in hell.

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but I know this, probably the bottom of his feet got burned anyway.

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So, but he had gone too far and he had basically forsaken the Lord and the Lord's ways as John

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the Baptist convicted him and he had murdering his heart.

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And we move now to where Jesus had sent the disciples out and now they're going to come back

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to him and they're going to have a little experience here in Luke chapter 9, verse

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verses 10 through 17. And let's read it, shall we? Just seven verses here in Luke chapter 9. And the

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apostles when they had returned told him all that they had done. Then he took them and went aside

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privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bessera. But when the multitudes knew it,

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they followed him and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those

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who had need of healing. And when the day began to wear away, the 12 came and said to him,

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send the multitude away that they may go in the surrounding towns and countries and lodge

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and get provisions for we are in a deserted place here. But he said to them, you give them something to

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eat. And they said, we have no more than five loaves and two fish. And unless we go and buy food

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for all these people, for there were about 5,000 men. And then he said to his,

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disciples make them sit down in groups of 50 and they did so and made them all sit down and then he took the

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five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven he blessed and broke them and gave them to the

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disciples to set before the multitude and so they all ate and were filled and 12 baskets of the

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leftover fragments were taken up by them let's pray Lord thank you thank you that over the years you have been

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called Providence, that you are a great provider and you're able to provide. You're able to do

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abundantly above all that we could ask or think. Lord, your word tells us that or ask us the question

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is anything too hard for the Lord? And as we look at this passage and we realize, Lord, that a total

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dependence upon you is necessary for all of us, Lord, knowing that you're the one who administers

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every beat of our heart and every breath that we breathe. And so, Lord, would you come,

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and be our unseen guest by your Holy Spirit in this place,

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teaching us the power of this word that we look at today in Jesus' holy name.

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Amen.

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So this is this miracle that happens here in Luke chapter 9.

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Now there is only one other miracle in the New Testament that is recorded in all four gospels.

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And that's the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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This is a big deal right here, this feeding of the 5,000.

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We read it so often and we just kind of take it for granted.

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Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Jesus can increase fishes and loaves.

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And back in the 19th century, when naturalism was kind of gaining momentum and drifting into the 20th century,

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people were discounting the miracles.

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Well, what I want to know is where do you start discounting miracles and where do you stop discounting miracles in the scriptures?

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And who gave you or any man the authority to do that?

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Right?

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Because when you start commenting on God's word and injecting your opinion as though it's fact,

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all of a sudden you become the authority.

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Right?

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You become the authority.

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You're not.

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I'm not the authority.

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God's word is the authority, right?

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And he means what he says, and he says what he means.

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And that's the power of the Word of God.

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And if it's not, if it's not the Word of God,

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then we probably should be fishing right now.

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Right?

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Or playing golf, whatever your deal is,

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or trying to kill a big buck or bull or whatever.

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But I believe it is the Word of God.

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and R.C. Sprole, I listened to his teaching, and I don't know if you guys know who R.C. Sprole is. He's more

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famous now because he's dead. But because the rule of thumb in Christendom is, if they're not dead,

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they're not red. But if they're dead, then they are red. I don't know. Why is it when people die,

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they become more powerful? I don't know.

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for some. It seems mainly the household of righteousness, those who die seem to gain more ground.

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But this is what R. C. Sproles says. I'm going to read this to you and make a few comments as we go through it.

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But if naturalism is all there is, then who cares whether black people or white people set at the back of the bus?

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Neither the black nor the white has any dignity whatsoever.

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Who cares if we kill 15 million unborn children?

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They are just domestic garbage to begin with if we are naturalists.

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Or atheists or even agnostics.

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At least they admit they don't know.

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Atheist claims something they can't prove.

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He goes on and he says,

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if you are a naturalist, there is no such thing as right.

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and no such thing is wrong.

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And that's true.

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Right?

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If we're all just an accident of cosmic goo,

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then what is right?

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What is wrong?

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And according to who?

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Seriously.

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And yet when you talk to a naturalist or an atheist,

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they said,

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we believe you should just be good people. Well, what is good? And who defines good? And is there in fact

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morality? Or is there just your morality and my morality? And that could be totally different.

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Because that's where this whole thinking leads, this so naturalistic, humanistic, atheistic thinking leads.

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There is no moral law. Because that's where this whole thinking leads. Because

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there's no moral law giver. So who are you or who would I be to say you should be a good person?

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Because there's no such thing as good. There's no such thing is right or wrong. There's no such thing.

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And it just taps my head that they try to steal these things. They try to steal God's goodness, right,

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and the Lord's morality. Well, it's not good to kill.

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according to who? God. He's the one to establish that law, right? Thou shalt not commit murder.

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And then he tells you what should happen to you if you do. You forfeit your right to live if you commit murder.

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That's why capital punishment is so wonderful. It's wonderful capital punishment. Right? No.

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Some people are, you know, they haven't decided on that.

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But when you look at it at face value, okay, if God is absolutely, you know, just and moral,

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and this law comes from him, right, then he tells us what should happen to somebody who breaks

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his moral law when it comes to capital crime, that you should die.

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And what Kirk Cameron was talking about the other night was, you know, that when our government was established,

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it was established and founded on the truth of God's word and that there was a place for justice and there was a place for mercy.

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Why? Because that's what God presents in His word, right?

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And actually, capital crime actually was met with both justice and mercy.

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Because it's a just thing that if I killed somebody, premeditatively murder somebody,

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it is just that I die.

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That's justice.

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But God incorporates his mercy as well.

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I can repent before the state kills me.

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I can repent before God, get right with God, no longer have to deal with the sins of the flesh of this body,

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and I get to go to be with him. That's God's mercy. God lets me in, right? He doesn't have to,

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but he's merciful. So I can be a murderer and experience justice and also experience mercy.

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That's the great God that we serve, folks. Right? It's incredible and it's powerful.

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And it gives us a path to travel.

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And I'm so thankful for the Lord giving us his morality.

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So R.C. goes on and he says, let's assume just for a minute that on that day in Galilee,

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Jesus of Nazareth fed 5,000 people to their satisfaction with five loaves.

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and a few fish. What that means, friends, is the radical breakthrough of the supernatural into the

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natural. What that means is that Jesus of Nazareth is not a clever ethical teacher. What that

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means is that he is he who said who he was, the incarnate son of God. What that means is that God

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not only is, but that God cares. God cares that he might dwell among us.

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us and that he might deal with our sin and our disappointment and our pain.

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What that means is that every human being is made in the image of God and who sits in the

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back of the bus does matter and it matters forever.

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What it means is that your life matters, not just now, but forever.

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That's what that means, right?

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And, you know, people who, who,

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think that we're just an accident, right? You live, you die, and that's it. You're done. I mean,

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who really believes that? I don't think anybody really believes it. They want to believe it because

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it excuses their sin, right? They want to believe it. But it's kind of like people who believe that.

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It reminds me of a story that I heard about some scientists that actually got to the point where they can create a human being.

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Right? They use the elements and with scientific advances, they can make a human being.

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And so they challenged God to a human being making contest.

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Right?

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And the Lord goes, okay, you go first.

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So they go out and they scoop up a bucket of dirt.

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And the Lord goes, hold on.

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Get your own dirt.

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So we look at this passage in and the apostles.

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And the apostles, right?

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So they come back and they was telling the Lord all that they had done.

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I think that right there kind of sets the stage for what we're about to look at here with the feeding of the 5,000.

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It kind of sets the stage.

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They come back and said, Lord, can we tell you what we did?

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And it's like, you don't get it, do you?

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What you did?

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Right?

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That Jesus had given them power.

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right over demons and over disease,

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and they had the authority to preach the kingdom of God.

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And they said, Lord, we're going to tell you what we did.

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That's kind of like saying,

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take a look at this house that the hammer built.

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Isn't that a cool hammer?

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No, we're just a tool.

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Right?

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We're all the same.

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some might be a more intricate tool than others, right?

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I'm kind of like a pair of pliers.

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Right, I just scar up everything I touch.

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Where a 9-16th, you know, box wrench would be so much better.

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But no, you're not getting it here.

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It's what God's doing.

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It's what God's doing through you.

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We're just a vessel.

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And Jesus says,

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okay, you guys, you guys come along with me, right? Come and it says that they, they went to a,

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went aside privately into a deserted place here in verse 10, belonging to the city called Beseida.

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It's interesting, the name of this city, anywhere you see Beth in the New Testament, it means house,

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right? And so Bessera means house of the hunter or house of the fishermen. And that's what Jesus was

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sending the disciples out to do, right? He told them, follow me, and I will make you fissures of men.

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And so that's what Bethsaida means, and that's where they were at. And in Mark's account of this,

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in verses 31 and 32, Mark chapter 6, he said, and he said to them, come aside by yourselves to a deserted

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place and rest for a while. For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have

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to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in a boat by themselves. And so he's going, no, come rest.

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I think we need rest occasionally. But the sad thing is, as many times we want rest, well, okay,

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I'm just going to call it what it. It's laziness, right? I had a lady just approached me right

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before service. And she says, why do old men, just do their, their channel clicker, go to the

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bathroom, come right back and just keep doing their channel clicker. They don't do anything else.

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It's because they're lazy. We're late. I'm lazy. And I have to fight against that.

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That's one of them good fights that Paul talked about. We have to fight against our own laziness

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and slothfulness. But these guys were needing rest, man. They'd been going at it. They've been doing

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ministry. Ministry kicks your tail. I felt it this morning trying to roll my

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63-year-old carcass out of bed.

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My wife and I had ran down to Gooding.

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We do a cowboy church down there once a month.

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And so it's usually a long day on,

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a long weekend on these weekends.

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And getting back, you know,

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we got back at about 10 o'clock last night.

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And, you know, it used to be no big deal.

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But, man, I'm getting older.

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It's harder.

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And I want to stay in bed.

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I ain't got the drive that I used to.

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but I need to I need to beat my flesh into submission like Paul said right I need to

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buffet it and and keep this thing going till the Lord's done with me lest I find myself getting in

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trouble like many of those we find in scripture that thinks they need a little R and R and

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they find themselves in a place of sinfulness and getting them and others in trouble and so

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he took them aside to rest for a little bit, but all of a sudden, right, all of the sudden,

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there in the next verse, it says, but when the multitudes knew it, they followed him,

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and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and heal those who had need

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of healing. The Lord goes, okay, we've got to set the rest aside, got work to do. Right? And that's,

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That's what God calls us to, is to put human need, others' needs, above our own.

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Right?

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That's a calling of the Christian life.

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That's why Jesus said, if you're going to come after me, you have to learn how to deny yourself.

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Right.

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Put yourself behind.

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Right?

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And it's so true.

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It's true in families.

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It's true in the workplace.

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It's true in the church.

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You've got to put yourself behind and focus on the issues at hand.

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and be faithful in that.

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And so he was faithful.

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What did he do?

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He did what they were just continuing to do.

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It's just a life, a life of giving of yourself.

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He who would become my disciple must deny himself,

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pick up his cross daily and follow me, Jesus said.

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And so when you see those needs,

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when you hear of those things that are out there

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and it's within your power to administer to that,

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then do it.

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I remember that's how I my brother and I got started in the ministry.

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I was just thinking back and I was just thinking, wow, we got started in the ministry doing

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funerals, right?

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Friends and family that knew we were kind of those Bible thumper type people, you know,

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Jesus freaks.

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Hey man, my grandpa died and we don't go to church.

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We don't know what to do.

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Would you come do his funeral?

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You bet.

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Right?

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And there was just a need.

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so you step up and do it. And I learned very quick in ministry life, if the Lord asks me,

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I made a vow to the Lord. I said, Lord, I'll never say no. If I got, if it's within my means to do it,

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I think you're not going to say no. If I honestly am depending on you and believing that you're

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directing my steps, then do what God puts in front of you. Right? Just step up. It's,

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It's not rocket science.

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I mean, how many of you have seen needs this week?

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All of us probably have.

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And so it's just a matter of being ready, right?

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And so the multitudes find them,

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and this is maybe the event that Paul was thinking of,

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you know, when he came up with 2nd Timothy,

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chapter 4 2 when it says preach the word be ready in season and out of season convince rebuke

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exhort with all long suffering and teaching just be ready be ready to be a minister of the

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lord if you know jesus as your personal lord and savior you're a minister of the lord okay you're a

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minister of the lord and that's what the disciples were here in the this is where they're first called

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apostles. So Jesus receives them. In Mark's account, verse 34 of chapter 6, it says,

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and the Lord, when he came out, he saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them

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because they were like sheep, not having a shepherd. And so he began to teach them many things.

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Jesus took, he was moved with compassion.

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You know, walking with Jesus really is walking in love.

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And when love is what motivates you, it's not like it's a labor.

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Right?

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It's not, it's something that you are compelled, right?

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You're moved to do it just as Jesus was moved with compassion.

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because they were like sheep, not having a shepherd.

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And you want to see a pathetic bunch of creatures

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see sheep without somebody directing them.

275
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Right? They just mill around.

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They're just like they're wandering lost.

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My old friend from the old country,

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his name was J. Gamdiaga.

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He used to tell me,

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oh, sheep they were so stupid.

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You must give them direction every day or they rock around in circles and they die.

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And the Lord calls us sheep.

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My friend Don Isham, who raised sheep and lamb sheep, right?

284
00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:36,140
And if he ever got close to cussing it was when he was working with sheep.

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He said it is an insult to sheep for the Lord to call a sheep.

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An insult to sheep.

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But they were like sheep without a shepherd, right?

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They were coming to Jesus.

289
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They were looking for someone that they could depend on.

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This is truly one of those situations with these people showing up.

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It's my motto, actually.

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And I sometimes regret saying it, but it's so true.

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Blessed or the flexible, for they should not be broken.

294
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Right?

295
00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:17,420
They were going to go rest.

296
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But the Lord knows, no, I'm going to send a multitude to you.

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A lot of people are going to come to you right now when you're wanting to rest.

298
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And what are you going to do?

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Are you going to minister to them?

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00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:36,420
Jesus is, at this moment, he's hunting the souls.

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He's hunting the souls of men.

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Yes, they want to and need rest, but there is a greater need.

303
00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:47,320
Talking about the kingdom of God, sharing the word of God,

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is a much greater need than our rest or our comfort.

305
00:24:52,140 --> 00:24:52,980
The old saying is true.

306
00:24:53,100 --> 00:24:58,960
God's more concerned about your character than he is about your comfort.

307
00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:02,140
And so in verse 12, it says,

308
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And when the day began to wear away, the 12 came and said to him, send the multitude away

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that they may go into the surrounding towns and countries and lodge and get provisions for

310
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we are in a deserted place here.

311
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Disciples thinking, man, we've done our job, right?

312
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We've shared the kingdom of God with them.

313
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We've healed the sick.

314
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They need to go eat.

315
00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:39,940
And so it's here, and it's here, and it's in this passage where they're first called apostles, right?

316
00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:45,100
But Jesus didn't see it the way they see it the way they saw.

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You know, it's getting late.

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Everybody's tired.

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How about you, Lord?

320
00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:49,880
Right?

321
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Send them away.

322
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,320
and this would have been a really good time to invoke

323
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Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, right, for the apostles.

324
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It would have been a really good time for them to trust in the Lord with all their heart,

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lean not on their own understanding, but in all their ways acknowledge him.

326
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And they weren't doing that.

327
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They were leaning on their own understanding.

328
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How often do we do that?

329
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Way too often.

330
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I do.

331
00:26:21,340 --> 00:26:21,500
Right?

332
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I think I know when I absolutely know nothing.

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And the word apostle, you know, it means those sent with authority and a message.

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Well, Jesus didn't tell them to go send the people away.

335
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He didn't tell them that.

336
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No, what's he tell them?

337
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But he said to them, you give them something to eat.

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You feed them.

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really is there anything too hard for the lord their their minds their hearts not any part of them

340
00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:09,080
even thought for a second that they could feed these people notice it says there's 5,000 men

341
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:15,520
but most bible commentaries believe that there was between 10 and 20,000 people here

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because the men are the only ones that are counted that's a lot of people

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00:27:22,340 --> 00:27:30,140
that is a lot of grub i remember years ago we were at promise keepers at boise state and outside of the

344
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the big uh pavilion there is a big grassy area and there were 2,500 of us or so and they had us all sit

345
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down and it was impressive 2,500 this is 10 to 20,000 talk about impressive

346
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And so he says, you feed them.

347
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And now immediately, right?

348
00:27:55,740 --> 00:27:58,400
They're leaning on their own understanding as he says this.

349
00:27:58,460 --> 00:28:04,700
And they said, we have no more than five loaves and two fish unless you go and buy food for all these people.

350
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For there were about 5,000 men.

351
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He said, we can't do that.

352
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We don't have the wherewithal to do that.

353
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We don't have the grub.

354
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Five loaves, two fish.

355
00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:18,020
That's not even going to feed us 12.

356
00:28:24,620 --> 00:28:26,480
But Jesus had a plan.

357
00:28:26,890 --> 00:28:29,780
In John chapter 6 verses 5 and 6 and says,

358
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Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and seeing the great multitude coming toward him.

359
00:28:33,940 --> 00:28:37,940
He said to Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat?

360
00:28:39,420 --> 00:28:45,420
Phil's like 200 years wages wouldn't buy enough bread for these people.

361
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:53,300
But listen, verse six, but this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

362
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Jesus knows what he's doing.

363
00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:56,200
He set these guys up.

364
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He sets you and me up.

365
00:28:59,820 --> 00:29:00,460
How are we doing?

366
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,300
Flunk, you big fat F, right?

367
00:29:06,940 --> 00:29:13,820
Often, often I flunk these tests that the Lord seems to be bringing my way.

368
00:29:14,140 --> 00:29:16,220
But also, he was proven himself.

369
00:29:17,180 --> 00:29:23,900
He was going to prove himself to his apostles, to those who he had called to follow them.

370
00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:32,880
And I'm telling you, if you'll choose to follow Jesus, he will prove himself to you over and over and over and over again.

371
00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:33,880
Right?

372
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:46,260
Versus 14 and 15 as we roll down through here, it says, for there were about 5,000 of men.

373
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and then he said to his disciples, make them sit down in groups of 50, and they did so and made them all sit down.

374
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And many believe that that's why they were so accurate with the number of 5,000 here is because they had divided them up into groups of 50.

375
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So it was much more easily to calculate.

376
00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:19,620
Now, we know that had at least 12 baskets, so we don't really know how the Lord did this.

377
00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:24,400
Other than, he started by this in verse 16.

378
00:30:24,770 --> 00:30:29,240
It says, then he took the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven.

379
00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:34,440
He blessed and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set them before the multitude.

380
00:30:34,700 --> 00:30:36,600
And so they all ate and were filled.

381
00:30:37,020 --> 00:30:42,500
And 12 baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up.

382
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:44,720
So we know they had at least 12 baskets.

383
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:48,740
Maybe the disciples just showing up to Jesus and he was filling the baskets.

384
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And they were just distributing it about to the people.

385
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And so they filled people up.

386
00:31:01,140 --> 00:31:01,880
Just kept coming.

387
00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:07,500
And notice that Jesus, when he prays, right?

388
00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:11,820
He doesn't praise, he just, he thanks God for his provision.

389
00:31:12,540 --> 00:31:13,660
that he here provided.

390
00:31:14,860 --> 00:31:17,680
And it's kind of like the Old Testament story.

391
00:31:17,780 --> 00:31:19,000
You remember the woman with the oil?

392
00:31:20,220 --> 00:31:20,360
Right?

393
00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:24,240
And Elijah says, you just go get as many jars as you can.

394
00:31:24,380 --> 00:31:25,640
She had just a little bit of oil,

395
00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:28,360
just a little tiny bit in the bottom of one of her containers.

396
00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:31,380
He says, go to get as many containers as you can get.

397
00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:32,700
And he starts filling.

398
00:31:33,900 --> 00:31:34,540
And he starts filling.

399
00:31:35,580 --> 00:31:37,140
And he filled until she ran out of containers.

400
00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:38,240
Right?

401
00:31:38,700 --> 00:31:39,600
Just a little bit of oil.

402
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:45,300
the Lord can do a lot with a little bit, right?

403
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,660
A little bit mixed with faith makes a whole bunch.

404
00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:55,560
A little bit mixed with faith, right, makes a whole bunch.

405
00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:57,160
And that's what Jesus said, right?

406
00:31:57,220 --> 00:32:03,180
If you and I have faith the size of a mustard seed, which is a very tiny seed, right?

407
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,840
You can say to this mountain move, and it'll move.

408
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:14,360
Warren Weirsby says, this miracle was more than an act of mercy for hungry people.

409
00:32:14,980 --> 00:32:20,540
Though that was important, it was also a sign of our Lord's messiahship and an illustration

410
00:32:20,980 --> 00:32:23,780
of God's gracious provision for man's salvation.

411
00:32:24,350 --> 00:32:29,380
The next day, Jesus preached a sermon on the bread of life and urged the people to receive

412
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:31,680
him just as they had received the bread.

413
00:32:32,660 --> 00:32:33,400
Isn't that so true?

414
00:32:34,940 --> 00:32:37,680
Jesus is the manna that came down.

415
00:32:38,180 --> 00:32:39,760
God's into feeding people, right?

416
00:32:40,340 --> 00:32:42,100
When you look at the story in the Old Testament,

417
00:32:42,500 --> 00:32:44,780
where the manna would come down every single day,

418
00:32:44,900 --> 00:32:45,960
except for what day?

419
00:32:47,100 --> 00:32:48,220
The Sabbath, right?

420
00:32:48,780 --> 00:32:49,740
Except for the Sabbath.

421
00:32:50,300 --> 00:32:53,200
There would be no bread come down and rain down on the Sabbath.

422
00:32:53,860 --> 00:32:55,200
And when they went out to get it,

423
00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,080
they were just to get enough for that day.

424
00:33:00,060 --> 00:33:01,260
They weren't to store it up.

425
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,060
What happens to bread when you store it up?

426
00:33:03,780 --> 00:33:05,080
gets moldy, it gets nasty.

427
00:33:05,460 --> 00:33:07,360
In fact, the manna would get worms in it.

428
00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:11,000
Right?

429
00:33:12,380 --> 00:33:12,780
Maggots.

430
00:33:14,020 --> 00:33:15,300
There's nothing like maggots.

431
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:17,000
Right?

432
00:33:17,340 --> 00:33:18,260
It would get worms in it.

433
00:33:18,500 --> 00:33:19,320
You weren't to do that.

434
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:24,700
It was to be something that you depended on every single day.

435
00:33:26,140 --> 00:33:29,440
It just so illustrates our walk with the God of heaven.

436
00:33:29,860 --> 00:33:31,080
Are you guys going to trust me every day?

437
00:33:31,740 --> 00:33:33,720
I know people that they banned.

438
00:33:34,540 --> 00:33:36,040
They bends read scripture.

439
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,240
They do it on benches.

440
00:33:38,700 --> 00:33:40,080
They'll take one day and just read scripture.

441
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:41,240
And then the rest of the days they don't.

442
00:33:42,300 --> 00:33:43,880
Well, how's that for your spiritual help?

443
00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:45,840
No.

444
00:33:46,540 --> 00:33:48,100
Hear a little, bear a little.

445
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:50,820
Line up on line, precept upon precept.

446
00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:52,900
Put it in your heart consistently.

447
00:33:54,620 --> 00:33:56,860
How would you do if you bench eight one day a week?

448
00:33:58,880 --> 00:33:59,660
Probably not too well.

449
00:34:04,060 --> 00:34:05,340
but Jesus was proven himself

450
00:34:05,500 --> 00:34:07,540
I'm the, I'm the thing that sustains you.

451
00:34:08,460 --> 00:34:11,300
I sustain your life.

452
00:34:12,919 --> 00:34:14,460
He is our sustenance.

453
00:34:17,419 --> 00:34:21,679
He is the one that we put our hope and trust in.

454
00:34:23,020 --> 00:34:26,720
And so looking up to heaven, right,

455
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:33,000
He blessed and broke them and gave them to disciples to sit before the multitude.

456
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:44,860
And God administered this food to every hungry stomach, and they were, it actually, that word

457
00:34:45,020 --> 00:34:50,659
satisfied or filled, it means to gorge, right?

458
00:34:50,919 --> 00:34:52,940
It wasn't like they get a little piece of bread.

459
00:34:53,720 --> 00:34:55,800
No, they were filled up.

460
00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:58,580
Obviously, we knew there was plenty because of the 12 baskets.

461
00:34:58,740 --> 00:35:03,560
I think that was maybe just a confirmation for the disciples as they took the baskets

462
00:35:03,780 --> 00:35:06,540
and filled up all the fragments that were left over.

463
00:35:08,860 --> 00:35:15,380
If they had any questions about who Jesus was, I think they were probably answered as they picked up all the stuff.

464
00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:22,320
He blessed it knowing what was going to happen.

465
00:35:23,980 --> 00:35:26,120
With the five loaves and the two fish sitting there,

466
00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:27,860
That's all there was as he prayed.

467
00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:30,400
And it just, it started happening.

468
00:35:31,700 --> 00:35:35,380
I'm wondering if George Mueller was thinking of this

469
00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:38,680
when he was standing at the table there at the orphanage,

470
00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:40,900
when all the plates and the bulls were empty.

471
00:35:41,060 --> 00:35:43,680
Many of you have been in Christian very long.

472
00:35:43,780 --> 00:35:46,120
You know this story.

473
00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,460
But Mueller was a Christian missionary evangelist

474
00:35:49,460 --> 00:35:52,060
and a coordinator of orphanages in Bristol, England.

475
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:54,120
Through his faith and prayers,

476
00:35:54,360 --> 00:36:00,140
and without asking for money, he had the privilege of caring for over 120,000 orphaned children.

477
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:06,600
He also traveled over 200,000 miles by ship to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in 42 countries.

478
00:36:07,020 --> 00:36:07,940
This guy was pretty impressive.

479
00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:16,460
So he's at this orphanage, and one morning all the plates and cups and bowls on the table were empty,

480
00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:21,000
and there was no food in the larder and no money to buy food,

481
00:36:21,380 --> 00:36:24,060
and the children were standing waiting for their morning meal.

482
00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:31,440
when Mueller said, children, you know we must be in time for school, then lifting up his hands, he prayed,

483
00:36:31,780 --> 00:36:36,760
Dear Father, we thank thee for what thou art about to give us to eat.

484
00:36:38,420 --> 00:36:39,100
Everything was empty.

485
00:36:42,740 --> 00:36:44,600
There was a knock at the door at that moment.

486
00:36:45,380 --> 00:36:48,720
The baker stood there and said, Mr. Mueller, I couldn't sleep last night.

487
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:53,040
Somehow I felt you didn't have bread for breakfast, and the Lord wanted me to send you some.

488
00:36:53,260 --> 00:36:57,860
So I got up at 2 a.m. and baked some fresh bread to have it brought to you.

489
00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:00,260
Right?

490
00:37:02,580 --> 00:37:08,500
Mr. Mueller thanked the baker, and no sooner had he left when there was a second knock at the door,

491
00:37:08,500 --> 00:37:09,560
and it was a milkman.

492
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:15,040
He announced that his milk cart had broken down right in front of the orphanage,

493
00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:21,180
and he would like to give the children his cans of fresh milk so he could empty his wagon and repair it.

494
00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:49,960
Right? That's how God works. That's why we call it faith. You can't see what he's going to do, but he's going to do it. The Old Testament says that God speaks about things that aren't yet as though they were. God speaks about things that aren't yet as though they were. That's why we look at God's scripture and we're in awe of the prophetic word that we see.

495
00:37:52,240 --> 00:37:58,920
Now, over the years, I've shared with you people who are kind of prophecy buffs and kind of

496
00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:02,340
have their thumb on the pulse of what's going on in the world and stuff.

497
00:38:03,450 --> 00:38:06,820
And just recently, I've been watching a guy by the name of Don Stewart.

498
00:38:07,040 --> 00:38:08,540
Don is a very reputable guy.

499
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,140
He's a Calvert Chapel guy that goes way back.

500
00:38:11,240 --> 00:38:17,420
He's been to this city several times sharing God's word and the prophetic word of what's

501
00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:18,400
going to happen in the future.

502
00:38:20,220 --> 00:38:20,980
And it's going to happen.

503
00:38:22,060 --> 00:38:27,720
Just like these 5,000 people, 20,000 people, who whatever it was, just like they ate.

504
00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:29,920
Jesus knew what he was going to do.

505
00:38:31,540 --> 00:38:35,580
And he was going to prove himself powerful and enough to do it.

506
00:38:36,340 --> 00:38:41,500
But I've been listening to Don, and Don has listed all the things that are coming in the future,

507
00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:45,920
that the scripture says are coming, the prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled yet,

508
00:38:46,180 --> 00:38:47,160
that are coming in the future.

509
00:38:47,500 --> 00:38:50,120
And he's got publications that are free.

510
00:38:50,220 --> 00:38:51,060
you can download them.

511
00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:52,440
It's incredible.

512
00:38:52,980 --> 00:38:56,960
To watch God's Word say this, and then it happens.

513
00:38:57,560 --> 00:39:01,220
To watch God's Word, say this, and then it's going to happen.

514
00:39:02,660 --> 00:39:02,800
Right?

515
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:05,920
Like Isaiah said, can a nation be born in a day?

516
00:39:07,460 --> 00:39:10,480
In fact, May 14th, 1948, a nation was born in a day.

517
00:39:11,380 --> 00:39:12,300
Just like God says.

518
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:15,840
Can you take him in His Word?

519
00:39:17,380 --> 00:39:17,800
We can.

520
00:39:18,740 --> 00:39:19,620
We can take him.

521
00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:20,900
at his word.

522
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:30,620
Somebody has rightly said that when Jesus blessed

523
00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:34,460
before the meal, he wasn't blessing the food,

524
00:39:34,460 --> 00:39:36,240
he blessed God for supplying it.

525
00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:39,860
The idea of praying before a meal isn't to bless the food.

526
00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:45,040
It's to bless that is to thank God for blessing us with the food.

527
00:39:45,940 --> 00:39:46,900
That thankful heart.

528
00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:49,600
We're command.

529
00:39:49,640 --> 00:40:06,380
right to do with everything in everything with thanksgiving give thanks to god and so some think that

530
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:11,760
jesus may have have prayed a jewish prayer that was very familiar to the people before a meal

531
00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:17,560
blessed art thou jehovah god king of the universe who brings forth bread from the earth

532
00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:22,180
right? Because all of it comes from him.

533
00:40:27,260 --> 00:40:31,260
Now, this is interesting that as the people were filled, they were impressed.

534
00:40:32,340 --> 00:40:35,080
But they weren't impressed to follow Jesus and to walk by faith.

535
00:40:35,820 --> 00:40:38,440
They were impressed to make him their king.

536
00:40:38,620 --> 00:40:42,460
Ha! We'll never go hungry again! Look at we got a great king that's a breadgiver.

537
00:40:46,720 --> 00:40:47,500
In fact, in John chapter,

538
00:40:47,540 --> 00:40:53,340
chapter 6 verse 15, it says, therefore when Jesus perceived, listen, that they were about to come

539
00:40:53,460 --> 00:41:00,560
and take him by force to make him king. He departed again and went to a mountain by himself alone.

540
00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:06,540
They're thinking, yeah, we got to make this guy king. Right. Nobody can feed us like him. We'll

541
00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:14,300
never have to worry about going hungry again. In that culture, I'm sure I've been in third world

542
00:41:14,300 --> 00:41:18,560
countries a lot of time they don't know where their next meal is coming from this would be a good

543
00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:26,320
deal to find a guy like this they were going to make him king for the bread's sake

544
00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:37,420
not because he was the one who gave them life and who could direct their steps and who could save

545
00:41:37,540 --> 00:41:40,360
them from the the judgment that was to come

546
00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:46,600
It's almost like they were trying to store up manna.

547
00:41:50,140 --> 00:41:51,600
Faith, you can't store up faith.

548
00:41:52,540 --> 00:41:54,340
You walk by faith.

549
00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:55,400
Right?

550
00:41:55,460 --> 00:41:56,320
It's always in front of you.

551
00:41:57,120 --> 00:41:58,740
You're always moving toward it.

552
00:41:58,750 --> 00:42:00,440
You don't stop and store it up.

553
00:42:01,380 --> 00:42:02,500
It's kind of like riding a bicycle.

554
00:42:02,660 --> 00:42:03,960
You quit pedaling and you fall over.

555
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:10,340
It's a simple walk every.

556
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:16,880
day. That's what he's calling us to. And he will sustain us and he will provide for us. Our job is to

557
00:42:17,060 --> 00:42:28,060
depend on him to do that. To make him our Lord. Many people want Jesus as Savior, but few more

558
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:34,120
want him as Lord. They don't want him direct in their life. They want him to save them and then

559
00:42:34,260 --> 00:42:38,640
they want to be able to do what they want. It doesn't work like that, folks.

560
00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,260
if he's your savior he should also be your lord

561
00:42:46,780 --> 00:42:50,580
and directing your steps and us showing

562
00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:55,220
our faithfulness to him

563
00:42:59,730 --> 00:43:05,740
and so walking by faith is just the expectation that you're walking every day

564
00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:08,620
expecting the lord to do something

565
00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:15,180
your life. And I just get excited about it. I mean, even sometimes when I get a flat tire and my

566
00:43:16,060 --> 00:43:20,160
routine gets interrupted and I got to do something else. I go, oh, Lord, what are you doing?

567
00:43:21,140 --> 00:43:25,240
Right? Years ago, I remember Pastor Chuck telling the story. He'd come, ran home from church. He had to

568
00:43:25,300 --> 00:43:29,720
get something. He ran in and he grabbed it and he ran back out and he went to start his car and the

569
00:43:29,860 --> 00:43:35,220
keys weren't in his car. He's going, what? Where's some key? What do with the keys? Goes back in the

570
00:43:35,180 --> 00:43:39,920
house takes him like 25 minutes to find his keys and back out he goes and he's in a hurry and he

571
00:43:40,900 --> 00:43:49,400
right before he starts his car he thinks lord were you keeping me from something so he starts his car

572
00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:53,440
he gets down the road about a mile from his house right in the track where he would have been there was like a

573
00:43:53,620 --> 00:44:03,220
five car pile up six or eight people were killed he's oh god's doing stuff guys in spite of us right

574
00:44:03,660 --> 00:44:05,900
God does not work according to your plans.

575
00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:10,760
In fact, I think he does it just on purpose sometimes to go against your plans.

576
00:44:13,340 --> 00:44:18,680
I had a guy tell me the other days in his 50s, he said, I planned for retirement way too well.

577
00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:20,800
What does that mean?

578
00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:24,740
He has no idea what he's going to do with him so.

579
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:25,820
Right?

580
00:44:26,260 --> 00:44:30,200
I think he's trusting in his retirement portfolio, right?

581
00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:37,800
his stipend that he's going to get for the rest of his life. But now what? What would a prophet

582
00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:46,600
a man if he gained the whole world and lost his own soul? What are you chasing after? You know,

583
00:44:46,680 --> 00:44:55,260
the Bible tells us, if you'll chase after Jesus, you'll get everything you need. Right? Matthew 633.

584
00:44:56,340 --> 00:44:56,960
Seek first.

585
00:44:58,060 --> 00:44:59,400
The kingdom of God and His righteousness.

586
00:44:59,880 --> 00:45:01,540
All these things will be added unto you.

587
00:45:02,020 --> 00:45:04,360
I'm not saying you're going to have an abundance and an overflow

588
00:45:05,020 --> 00:45:07,560
and not have to pray about your car starting.

589
00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:11,820
But sometimes we get so blessed.

590
00:45:12,720 --> 00:45:13,400
Got a new car.

591
00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:15,100
I don't have to pray for this thing to start.

592
00:45:15,140 --> 00:45:16,700
It fires up every time.

593
00:45:18,220 --> 00:45:21,180
No, maybe you need to go get an aunt one that you've got to pray for it to start.

594
00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:22,620
Right?

595
00:45:27,500 --> 00:45:34,840
we're all on the same playing field folks some of we're just in this this mindset some of us got it

596
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:41,060
made and some of us are still down here i'm i kind of like down here i mean i'm i'm kind of bent

597
00:45:41,260 --> 00:45:51,960
towards trailer trash anyway right that's just my kind of people uh but god sees us all right we're

598
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:58,400
all at sea level. That is interesting. We're all at sea level because in the book of

599
00:45:58,520 --> 00:46:03,760
Revelation, when the beast rises, where does he rise out of? The sea, the sea of humanity.

600
00:46:04,860 --> 00:46:09,500
See, the sea of humanity lays down pretty level. We're all the same. It doesn't matter if you're

601
00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:18,880
at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or if you're at your address is 666 Bone Road.

602
00:46:24,820 --> 00:46:26,320
Some of you've been out to bone.

603
00:46:27,260 --> 00:46:29,560
It's not good to go out to bone this time of year

604
00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:31,440
because you might get snowed in, you just never know.

605
00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:36,000
God's not no respecter of persons.

606
00:46:42,660 --> 00:46:44,020
But Jesus is for everybody.

607
00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:47,640
He's for the multitudes that would come to him.

608
00:46:48,100 --> 00:46:51,660
What separates us is when we depend on him.

609
00:46:53,500 --> 00:46:53,600
Right?

610
00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:55,260
It makes us different from the world.

611
00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:58,660
Because the world is depending on the world.

612
00:47:01,300 --> 00:47:03,540
And I've learned the world isn't very nice.

613
00:47:06,040 --> 00:47:06,220
Right?

614
00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:07,660
Just the elements.

615
00:47:08,740 --> 00:47:11,620
Here in Idaho, you want to give yourself to the elements?

616
00:47:12,020 --> 00:47:12,720
Is that what you want to do?

617
00:47:13,780 --> 00:47:14,420
Have out it.

618
00:47:15,260 --> 00:47:16,560
Because the elements will kill you.

619
00:47:18,260 --> 00:47:27,000
somebody said the elements you know nature is not it's not hostile it's indifferent it doesn't care if it kills you or not

620
00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,660
and even with the temperature today if you're in the right spot you could die of exposure

621
00:47:34,460 --> 00:47:43,260
but do you depend on him do you depend on him because it does take faith

622
00:47:44,820 --> 00:47:48,640
my life verses Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6

623
00:47:51,660 --> 00:47:54,400
that without faith it's impossible to please God

624
00:47:56,020 --> 00:47:57,400
and those who would come to God

625
00:47:58,140 --> 00:47:59,660
must believe that he is

626
00:48:00,320 --> 00:48:03,140
and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him

627
00:48:05,220 --> 00:48:07,260
and that's where you'll find eternal life

628
00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:10,200
right as you diligently seek him

629
00:48:10,860 --> 00:48:12,720
may we depend on him this week

630
00:48:13,900 --> 00:48:18,220
right for our very breath just thank god sometimes lord thank you that this thing's still

631
00:48:19,020 --> 00:48:25,820
ticking lord thank you that i can breathe uh because i think we too often take these little simple

632
00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:30,900
things that god gives us for granted thinking they are our own when they are a gift from him

633
00:48:32,500 --> 00:48:36,360
let's all stand shall we i'm going to invite the prayer team to come up

634
00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:41,660
and maybe you just want to go deeper in your faith with the lord i'm just going to invite you

635
00:48:41,660 --> 00:48:42,800
to just walk up here with them.

636
00:48:43,240 --> 00:48:45,480
Just walk up here with them and have them pray for you.

637
00:48:45,960 --> 00:48:50,180
Or if you need to stand in for somebody that's in your family that just needs,

638
00:48:51,500 --> 00:48:53,300
your heart's broken with what's going on in their life,

639
00:48:53,420 --> 00:48:56,120
come and stand in the gap for them and have these guys pray with you.

640
00:48:57,360 --> 00:48:58,540
Or you got an ailment.

641
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:00,280
They got some oil up here.

642
00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:01,080
They can anoint you.

643
00:49:01,180 --> 00:49:03,940
The Bible says, call for the elders, have them pray for you,

644
00:49:05,619 --> 00:49:06,700
and you'll be healed.

645
00:49:08,020 --> 00:49:11,320
And so as we pray,

646
00:49:11,740 --> 00:49:19,140
you just feel free. Just make yourself available to these guys and they'd love to come take you before the

647
00:49:19,220 --> 00:49:27,820
Lord. So let's pray, shall we. Father, we thank you so much for this life you've given us, Lord. It is a wild ride,

648
00:49:28,020 --> 00:49:33,260
Lord. We just thank you for it. We praise you, Lord. You hold our breath in your hand, Lord. You

649
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:40,640
know the number of our days, Lord. You know what's going to happen tomorrow, Lord. And we just want to be in step with you, Lord.

650
00:49:40,920 --> 00:49:48,060
And so I just, I pray for us as a body, Lord, that we would be tight-knit and just close one with another,

651
00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:54,320
Lord, realizing that we're bound together in the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord, I pray that you would minister to all the needs,

652
00:49:54,880 --> 00:50:00,760
Lord, that are in this room, Lord, whether it's a lack of faith or it's a desire for deliverance, Lord,

653
00:50:01,380 --> 00:50:05,160
and you're able to do all those things and everything in between.

654
00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:10,320
And so we trust you, and we put our dependence totally upon our God, specifically.

655
00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:15,920
the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in your name, Lord, we pray. Amen. God bless you guys. Have a great week in Jesus.

656
00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:17,800
Feel free to come pray.