The Prophet Jonah

 Jonah The Rebellious Prophet

 Book of Jonah Chapters 1 and 2

 One thing we should be very clear about in this Book of Jonah is that it was written as actual history and not some allegory, or fiction, or parable, and refers to real people in real places.

 Ancient tradition in Israel considered Jonah and the Book of Jonah as historical facts, and we should too.

 A lot is written about Jonah by Josephus and other church fathers, and they all accepted the Book of Jonah as a historical fact.

 It would be best for us to accept the Book of Jonah along with the sixty-five other books of the Bible as the truth of God.

 If God said Jonah was swallowed by a fish to be delivered to Nineveh, then I accept it as fact.

 It does not actually say that this great fish delivered Jonah to Nineveh, and Assyria had no shore and no seaport.

 Jonah was probably put to shore at Joppa, the place from which he had set out.

 God wanted His message of "judgment" preached in Nineveh, and He chose Jonah to deliver that message.

 God does not just choose people He knows might not like the ministry He chose them for.

 God chooses His children who He knows can get the job done if their faith remains strong.

 1) We have a duty to bear witness to the true Lord of all people, Jesus Christ.

2) God wanted Israel to know that God loved all people.

3) Jonah was to be a picture of repentance from disobedience of a true man of God, written to all God's people.

 Another thing to consider that is not mentioned is the fact that it would be the Assyrian Empire that God would use in His "judgment" of the Northern Tribes named Israel, and the capital of the Assyrian Empire was the city of Nineveh.

 The Assyrians were known as some of the cruelest people in the ancient world.

 The children of Israel could be just as callous and hardhearted.

 Even though most of the Ninevites returned to pagan worship later, God always, always has a remnant that stays with Him forever.

 I believe that when Israel was taken to Nineveh, not everyone would be their enemy.

 God has a purpose and a use for everyone upon the face of this earth.

God will use everyone who turns to Him, but God will also use the wicked to further His plan of "redemption" while not causing their wickedness.

 The truth of God is that He desires mercy more than judgment, and every person who lives will get an opportunity to meet the God of the Bible.

 God's patience with our sin and wickedness, our false worship and rejection of Him as the only Living God and True God, is hard to understand, but it is real!

 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

 We must understand that God's "judgment" will be real when the Lord Jesus returns in glory.

 There is nowhere to run to escape the "Judgment of God"!

 *****Jon 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Jon 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

 The Book of Jonah, the fifth book in the row of the twelve minor prophets, is a unique book.

 It is another place where we are to learn about the ways of God.

 Jonah, the prophet of God, tried to put his own importance above the importance of God's message.

 We must learn that if we belong to God, we cannot run away from the purpose He has for us without feeling His chastisement.

 Jonah knew the power and the truth of God!

 When the truth of God is preached to any people, some will believe and be saved.

 Jonah hated the Ninevites, for they were cruel, war-mongering people, and Jonah did not want to see any of them turn to Jehovah for salvation.

 Just like God always does, He will take something that started badly and turn it into good results.

 Jonah was running away from his home and his country to avoid doing what God wanted him to do.

 Jonah would suffer unimaginable things, but in the end, he would be glad to do what God wanted him to do.

 Jonah was already a prophet of God in Judah and was obedient to the Word of God.

 Amos and Hosea were also serving the Lord during the time of Jonah.

 They were to warn Israel and Judah of the coming judgment unless they would repent of their evil ways.

 God's new commission to Jonah was clear and unmistakable.

 Jonah was to go to the city of Nineveh to warn a pagan people of the coming judgment of God.

 We will learn a lot about Jonah, but we must pay attention to the actions of our God and Jonah's God, Jehovah.

 Of course, we know Him as Jesus.

 Nineveh was one of the great cities of ancient civilization.

 For the Lord Jesus to mention Jonah, we know that these things are true.

 It just makes sense for us to accept all the Word of God as the truth.

 To the Jews, the Book of Jonah is important, and they read this great truth of God during the Day of Atonement.

 To critics, it is just a fairytale, but we live by faith in the whole Word of God.

 If the Lord Jesus said these things are true, then we should not question them.

 Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mat 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

 Mat 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

 What do we recognize as the sign of Jonah?

 The sign of Jonah refers to the three days that Jonah spent in the belly of a great fish, which symbolizes Jesus' death and resurrection after three days.

 This truth is mentioned in the Gospels, where Jesus uses Jonah's experience as a type of His own future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

 The miraculous survival of Jonah serves as a powerful reminder of God's mercy and God's call to repentance.

 It is God who is in control of all the parts of nature He created. God loves all people.

 And for those who think God just has His eyes on His own people, all the other people of this earth should know that God has His eyes upon all His creation and all people of every nation.

 What did Jonah do? He tried to flee from God.

 God knows what each of us are doing at any given time.

 *****Jon 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

 It is believed that Tarshish was a city of the Phoenicians in southern Spain.

 This ship would have been an ocean-going ship and not a small fishing boat.

 The Phoenicians were the dominant sea power at that time, and their ships traveled the world.

 We should understand that we may not always like what God wants us to do.

 We know He will never go against His own Word, so anything God asks us to do will be the right thing to do!

 The people of Nineveh were evil and malicious, but as God had promised, the entire world must be warned of the coming judgment.

 Nah 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

Nah 3:2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

Nah 3:3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:

Nah 3:4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

 All sin is an abomination to the Lord, but God will sometimes point out a specific group of people who have become so wicked that He will issue a special call of judgment.

 Archaeology has confirmed what God is teaching us in this Book of Jonah.

 The Assyrians were wicked people!

 In their judgment of people, lips were torn off, hands were cut off, people were flayed like you would a fish while they were alive, and there were great mounds of skulls everywhere.

 Jonah made a tragic decision to deliberately disobey the Lord and run away.

 We must clearly understand that God can save anybody, anywhere, at any time, and it is not up to us to decide who God will save or who God will reject.

 Rom_14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

 The Lord Jesus said: Mat_7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

 The Lord God Jehovah could not allow His prophet to get away with these things, which means He understood the feelings of Jonah, but Jonah was not God, and Jonah could not select who God would save or not save.

 God's message is to all people!

 Jonah was in open rebellion against the Lord and wanted to get as far away from Nineveh as he possibly could.

 God loved the Ninevites, despite their wickedness, and wanted them to hear that there was hope for them if they would only repent of all that wickedness.

 We can also see that when we disobey God, we can endanger others.

 God did not want His prophet to destroy his ministry or his life.

 God caused a great wind, so great that this mighty ship could be destroyed.

 The mariners of the ship all called out to their false gods, and we know there was no help there.

 Jonah was asleep below deck, and the captain told him to cry out to his God, who is Jehovah, the God of the Hebrew people.

 The Lord God of the Bible is the only hope we have in this world!

 *****Jon 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

 Jonah may have thought for a while that he had successfully avoided going east to Ninevah by going west to Spain, but God was not through with Jonah.

 Jonah knew why the ship was in such distress.

 We should understand that God chastises those He loves, and sometimes a lot of chastisement is needed to bring us back to the right path.

 While God was dealing with Jonah, He also took the time to demonstrate His power over the elements of this world.

 This was the time of the year when the Mediterranean Sea would have been the calmest, and the crew, being polytheists, could only blame their distress on some false god.

 They believed more in their false gods than many people believe in the true God, to our shame.

 Ask a Muslim who believes in false gods or ask a Hindu about their faith.

 God wants us to warn all people everywhere of His coming judgment, whether they believe it or not.

 Jonah finally told them his God was the LORD, the God of Heaven, and that he was running away from Him.

 It was obvious to the ship that it was Jonah’s fault that had caused this terrible storm.

 They asked Jonah how they could save themselves from this storm, and Jonah told them to throw him overboard.

 They did not want to do this at first but later decided that there was no other option and tossed Jonah out of the ship.

 *****Jon 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

 These professional sailors got introduced to the God who is our Creator.

 They asked that God not hold them accountable since it was because of Jonah that the storm was so powerful.

 They were now afraid for their own lives and had admiration for the God of the Hebrew people, and they offered some sacrifice when they could have just said thank you and praised Him.

 A vow would mean that these sailors made some kind of promise to God.

 Only Jonah knew what happened next and lived to talk about it, and the Holy Spirit caused it to be written in the Bible we have today.

 *****Jon 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

 No one can outthink God! He knew exactly what was going to happen to Jonah, and He prepared a great fish to be ready to save Jonah from drowning.

 If God can keep life in the womb before the birth of a child, why would He not be able to keep Jonah alive in the belly of a fish?

 This great fish swallowed Jonah to protect him, and as my preacher says, Jonah became the first ever submariner.

 Some say under these conditions, there was no way that Jonah could have known how many days he was inside this fish, but the Holy Spirit knows all things.

 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 There was but one thing Jonah could do.

 *****Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,

Jon 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

 This story of Jonah should confirm the fact that we can pray to God from anywhere but the grave, though we know that everyone in Hell is now a believer in the true God.

 Wherever we find ourselves, we are never too far from God for Him to hear us.

 Jonah had caused himself to be put into this precarious situation.

 Jonah was in this situation because he had willfully disobeyed God, but God was still ready to hear from Jonah.

 Had Jonah not prayed, he would have been lunch for this fish!

 We must know that in our time of need, we should go to God, for He is always listening for our prayers.

 Psa 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

 We are never truly in a desperate situation when we know we can pray to the God of all power, even when we are in disobedience to the Word of God, if we are willing to repent.

 It would take a miracle for Jonah to survive and complete the work that God had given him to do.

 The Lord used this huge fish to keep Jonah alive while He also gave Jonah a sense of being in Hell.

 1) Jonah was in pitch-black darkness, along with the unbearable smell of rotting fish, seaweed, and whatever else a fish would eat.

2) The Lord used this fish to give Jonah a sense of what Hell would be like for those who never heard God's message of salvation.

3) God used this fish to deliver Jonah from death to demonstrate His great love and mercy. God will do almost anything to get His message to those who have never heard it.

4) The Lord used this great fish to swallow and then expel Jonah as a type of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, as Jesus said Himself.

 Luk 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

Luk 11:30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

 We should remember the Lord in everything we do, and He should never be the last thing that we remember in a time of need.

 *****Jon 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

 Though Jonah was still inside this great fish, his heart began to change in his despair.

 Jonah realized that the Lord had kept him alive inside this fish to give him time to repent.

 Jonah could breathe while inside this animal, which causes many to believe this great fish was a whale, but we actually do not know for sure.

 Jonah speaks with faith that the Lord could still save him if He chose to do so, and He did.

 God intends that through situations such as the one Jonah was in, to show us His great mercy.

 2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

 Jonah did not know if he would truly be saved from his dilemma, but he did know that his relationship with his Heavenly Father had been mended.

 Inside this fish, Jonah knew he could still reach into the throne room of God.

 Jonah was not afraid to die!

 *****Jon 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

 We do not know where Jonah was put out on dry land.

 We do know that God has control of all His creation, and this fish was obedient to God.

 We can ignore all those who suggest the first part of the Book of Jonah is allegorical.

 Those are just people who have no respect for the Word of God nor the power of our Supernatural God.

 God had humbled His servant, and His servant was now ready to serve Him.

 Jonah revived his ministry from this beach where he was deposited.

 He would now obey God and go to Nineveh to proclaim the Word of God to a doomed people.

 This is the same job we have today!

 It was Jonah's three-day experience when he was given a new life and a new beginning.

 So, it is with every believer!

 Through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we too can receive a new life, a new beginning, a brand-new start, a second chance, and spend an eternity with the One who loves us the most.

 Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. By Grace Through Faith.

 We must never think that God is not working in this world to bring to full glory His plan of salvation, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Amen

The Patience Of The Lord Jesus

The Patience Of God's Servant

Teaching, Feeding, and Healing

Book of Mark Chapter 6:32-56

Though we took a quick look at some things last week, let's take a closer look at some things this week in Chapter six.

We have already see many times the compassion of Our Lord and we will see it again in this passage!

There is a saying that goes like this:

“People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

What we should realize is that the compassion Jesus has for the lost, is a reflection of His incredible love for all humans!

What is compassion?

According to the Webster Dictionary, compassion is suffering along with a sufferer or painful sympathy.

So compassion is hurting along with some one else who is hurting.

What was the ultimate show of compassion by the Lord?

Then said Jesus while He hung on the cross:

Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do". And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

What is mercy?

Mercy is a tenderness that comes from the heart.

Mercy overlooks the faults of another person by showing love toward them!

What is God's ultimate show of mercy?

1Jn 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Mercy can best be understood as God's goodness!

*****Mar 6:32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

Why did Jesus and His chosen 12 depart for a desert place?

Mar 6:30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

Jesus had also gotten the word of the murder of John the Baptist and His disciples were preaching the same message that John preached.

It was time for a short rest!

God had already shown us the need for a period of rest at the time of His creation!

Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

But the world would not allow for God's rest!

Many of our pastors suffer from a lack of rest today!

*****Mar 6:33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

A few weeks ago we saw a picture of the Sea of Galilee and we could see that on a clear day ships and boats on the this sea could be seen from the shoreline.

Jesus and the disciples could take a ship or a boat but they could not hide where they going if traveling by day time.

In some cases, a destination could be reached faster by land than as by sea which happened here in our verse.

This multitude also grew as it traveled toward Jesus!

And, this also proves that most of the religious leaders were too proud or too corrupt to teach the Word of God and no one taught like Jesus!

They were hungry for the Word of God!

But also anxious to see the "Miracle Maker"!

No matter how tired Our Lord was, we can see His "Compassion"!

*****Mar 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

A sheep is a symbol of meekness, and gentleness and submissiveness. Sheep require a lot of patience!

We may look but we do not find sheep that exists in the wild state. Sheep were created for man!

That being so, the sheep was the animal first used for sacrifice!

With these thoughts, we can understand the Lord is our shepherd and those that believe on Him, are His flock!

God is very aware of why He chose to use sheep to describe the Church.

Jer 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jer 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

God is very aware when so called Pastors do not properly lead His sheep!

Jehovah God is our Head Shepherd but in order to save His sheep, He had to become a Lamb!

Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

We were introduced to this "Lamb of God" in a recent lesson:

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

We should also remember the words of Abraham to Isaac:

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

That sacrificial Lamb, was The Lord Jesus Christ!

But we should always remember something else about Jesus?

Jesus the "Carpenter" was the builder of the entire Cosmos.

But most important, this Jesus this "son of the virgin Mary" was Jesus Christ the Son of God!

Jesus Himself said:

Joh 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Joh 10:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

But Jesus also said these words:

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

James had this to say:

Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

The voice of Jesus, is the Word of God and if we are not obedient to God's Word then we have not listened to Our Shepherd!

It was the True Shepherd that began to teach this great multitude!

*****Mar 6:35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
Mar 6:36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.

These people that had followed Jesus had not given any thought that Jesus might need some rest.

These people that followed Jesus had not given any thought that the chosen 12 disciples might need some rest.

In fact this great multitude that had followed Jesus had not even thought to pack a lunch and Jesus had intentionally led the disciples to a desert place where there were no towns or villages very close by.

We can see that a desert place is a place where there is very little or no life.

And, these people had no purpose!

The one thing they all had in common was that were all poor and they were all hungry!

But, we have a generous Savior, willing to bless all those that follow Him under any conditions!

The Lord will provide all things but we must be just as willing to receive His "Gifts"!

*****Mar 6:37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
Mar 6:38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

Philip responded that Judas had only 200 pennyworth in the bag where the money was kept.

Joh 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

This was not enough money to buy a small quantity of perfume:

Joh 12:5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

And it was certainly not enough money to satisfy the hunger of this great multitude!

So Jesus asked if their were any food available.

Thank God for moms!

There was one mother who had taken the time to prepare her son a lunch.

As I write today, my mom is not expected to live more than a few days, but she was like this mom!

Joh 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

The 12 disciples would have allowed this multitude of people just to leave hungry and thus unfulfilled but Jesus would not do this.

There is also another lesson our churches need to learn.

If there is not enough "Faith" in the Church, that God will provide, then the multitudes will drift away in search of fulfillment and Satan will take advantage of this!

2Co 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

*****Mar 6:39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
Mar 6:40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.

Was this count important to the Lord?

Only if we consider that He wanted us to know how many were fed this day!

Our God is a God of order!

1Co 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

It would be impossible to have fed this multitude if God's servants could not pass amongst them!

But what is impossible for man is not even a simple challenge for the Lord!

Can The Lord feed such a multitude as this?

Psa 78:19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

There had been many miracles of healing every known disease.
There had been miracles showing The Lord's power over nature.
There had even been those that were raised from the dead.

Jesus had already performed many miracles but this miracle would be a miracle of "creation"!

This mighty work of the Lord was the only one that is included in all four of the "Gospels"!

God had spoke our world into existence and He would now speak to Our Father in Heaven and these people would be fed.

And Jesus knew what He was about to do!

Joh 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

*****Mar 6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Mar 6:42 And they did all eat, and were filled.
Mar 6:43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
Mar 6:44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

See if we can get this picture.

A young lad trusted the Lord Jesus enough to give Him all the food he had.
Jesus looked up into Heaven.
Jesus blessed this meager meal.
Jesus brake these 5 small loaves but we know they did not diminish.
Jesus brake the two fishes but they fed them all.

As the disciples set a basket before the Lord it was filled and this continued until much more than 5000 were fed.

They were not just given a meal!

They were given a meal that was much as they could hold!

These people were hungry!

These people were filled!

And, from 5 loaves of barley and 2 small sardines, there remained 12 baskets of fragments.

The blood scared hands of Jesus, can still deliver much more than we need with some leftover for those that have not yet come to the knowledge of Christ.

Jesus Christ is the "Bread of Life".
Jesus Christ gives of Himself, that we be nourished.
Jesus Christ gives more than we need so we can show others "His Mercy" and "His Grace".

There is great satisfaction in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord!

Psa 145:16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

*****Mar 6:45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

The disciples were unwilling to leave Jesus alone with this great multitude but as always, The Lord can convince us the right things to do if we just listen to His Words!

God's "Will", will be done!

The Apostle John gives us a better description of what took place:

Joh 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Joh 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

There were some of those that had seen the miracle that realized the Jesus was indeed that Prophet that was to be likened unto Moses.

Moses had prayed for the "Manna" that had fed the children of Israel in their escape from Egypt.

This "Manna" had fulfilled God's purpose by preserving God's people in the wilderness for 40 years but it was gathered day by day.

But there was a "hidden Manna" that the Jew did not know and have not found even today.

Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

These men realized that only a prophet such as Moses could have brought this bread from Heaven this day.

They looked around at the 5000 men that Jesus had fed and they saw a 5000 men standing army that would have followed Jesus anywhere.

They "saw escape" from the tyranny of Rome and the Rome appointed rulers of Israel.

Christ Jesus knew what was in these men's hearts and He did not want the 12 He had chosen to start the Church, to get caught up in these things.

It was not time for Jesus to be King.!

This would only come after the "Rapture" of the Church!

1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

This will happen at the "Second Coming" of Our Lord:

Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

So Jesus sent these people away and He felt the need to pray for them!

*****Mar 6:46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

Did Jesus pray for Himself? No

Jesus prayed for the lost, that they might come to believe on Him!

Jesus prayed for the saved, because He is Our Mediator!

Jesus could have prayed anywhere but He went up on a the mountain!

Though He knew what was going to happen to the 12 disciples, He went up onto the mountain so He could see with His human eyes.

Prayer is the pouring out of the "soul" before God!

Prayer is the drawing nearer to God!

Prayer is the "faith" that there is someone (God) who can do something about our problems!

And "Prayer" must be sincere!

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

BUT, "Prayer" must be offered in true "Faith"!

*****Mar 6:48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
Mar 6:49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
Mar 6:50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

Even while Jesus was praying for the lost, His mind was also on His disciples.

Jesus was on that mountain top but even through the darkness He could see them!

We should be getting a picture of God's Church and the struggles that will happen in this evil world!

Most of our struggles are within our own selves!

Christ has given us a commandment to be like Him, but we are addicted to our own will and this brings with it failure!

Paul wrote:

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

We should picture ourselves in this little fishing boat struggling with all our might against against the dark and stormy evil of this world.

We sometimes doubt and even forget God's Grace, His promise of Eternal Life, and even the Power Of God, and this burdens our soul.

These things rob of of our joy and our peace that God wants us to have!

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

God did not promise us an easy road after salvation, we will toiling while we are rowing in this sea of evil we call Earth.

BUT, God did promise that He would be with us every step of the way!

AND, you see God is watching over us all the time!

If it is getting dark and Jesus has not arrived, we must realize that He may have paused along the way to pray for us!

And if we look hard enough, we may see Jesus coming to stop the storm!

God has promised He will never forsake us for any reason after our name is written in the Lamb's Book Of Life!

Just as these disciples did not understand why Jesus was not with them at this time, we may not understand many of the things we are going through!

We should realize that for every good day, there will be some stormy nights and the darkness of the sin in this world, will magnify our fears.

We must know that we are not alone, every Christian will travel this same path, some more than others:

1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

All these things are God's training ground to make us better prepared for His purpose for each and every one of us:

1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

There is no force of Nature and no power of man that can come between us and Christ that He cannot, and will not overcome!

Walking on water to the Lord is the same as walking on pavement to us.

Notice that Our Lord never explains His absence, He just says, "It is I, be not afraid" because He knows we have these fears!

When the Lord speaks things happen!

*****Mar 6:51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

Before Jesus went into the ship there was one more thing that happened that Mark does not mention.

Mat 14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Mat 14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
Mat 14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Mat 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Mat 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

When we add this incident to all these other things we can see why these disciples were so amazed and also another reason their hearts were hardened.

Peter wanted to do the thing that Christ Jesus was doing.

And this impulse of Peter was not some kind of test the Lord Jesus was performing with Peter.

This impulsive act of Peter could have led to his death if not for the Lord Jesus.

Man was never made to walk on water!

If our "faith" is strong enough, there is no sea that is too rough for us to travel.

BUT, It takes a special "faith" to do the things where no human power on this earth can help!

You see, it was not the water that was supporting Peter for that was impossible. It was his "faith"!

We must always be very careful not to try to prove the power of the Lord!

There was no real reason for Peter to walk to the Lord, but the Lord will use our own mistakes did to train us as He did here with Peter!

Peter was corrected by a merciful God!

Peter was allowed to test his own "faith" and then the Lord exposed his error.

"O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt"

I believe Peter got out of the boat for the wrong reasons!

They were so amazed in themselves, they did not know how to express what they had just witnessed!

I believe the other disciples hearts hardened because of this impulse of Peter to go to the Lord but most of all because he failed and this showed the weakness that they all had.

*****Mar 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

It had only been a few hours since Jesus had proved that He was the "Creator" when He had fed many more than 5000 people by making the bread that was eaten out of thin air.

Remember there were 12 baskets of leftovers!

The Lord had not used those 5 loaves nor those 2 fishes!

These 12 were eye witnesses to this great miracle!

This had to be a wonderful time in the lives of these men but Jesus still said, "why do you have these doubts'?

*****Mar 6:53 And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
The Apostle John said while these things were on there mind, the ship just landed on shore.

Joh 6:21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

The "Navigator" was back on board.

Gennesaret was on the western shore of Galilee and does not exist today.

This was the same area that was named after the Hebrew name for the Sea of Galilee which was Chinnereth:

Num 34:11 And the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the [sea of Chinnereth] eastward:

In the Greek is was called the Lake of Gennesaret.

Luk 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

And, This is the same sea that politicians had renamed the Sea of Tiberius.

Joh 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

*****Mar 6:54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
Mar 6:55 And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.

It did not take long for these people to realize that Jesus of Nazareth was in town!

And again prophesy is fulfilled:

Psa 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

A day before Jesus had fed more than 5000 and no matter where Jesus appeared, great crowds would gather and the greater the size of these crowds, the more attention to Jesus came from the elders, the government, and religious system.

And they came from far and wide.

*****Mar 6:56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

They were from the villages.
They were from the cities.
They were from the country.

They were from all walks of life!

It did not matter where Jesus showed up except, for His home of Nazareth, He was able to some good.

These people had no doubt that Christ Jesus had the power to heal!

Again the garment they were seeking to touch was the fringes of the prayer shawl that Jesus wore.

Each and every Pastor would be overwhelmed with the results that Jesus had obtained!

He drew enormous crowds!

He was popular with all walks of life of the people!

He had unfailing results!

Jesus was becoming famous!

For at the touch of Jesus:

Blinded eyes can see
Broken hearts are mended
Captives are set free

When He speaks,
The mountains move at His command

At the touch of Jesus
Fallen lives can stand

Questions?

Let's Pray!