Essence of Life that Focuses on Jesus Christ (Matt. 14:13-21)
Let us bless one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.” The title of today’s message is, “Essence of the Life that Focuses on Jesus Christ.” It’s talking about the five loaves and the two fish. Right before this happened, in Mt. 14:13, Jesus Christ heard the news of John the Baptist’s death, and there was no comment regarding that. If anything, Jesus Christ was emotionless about it, and He went about His ministry. In other words, God called John the Baptist because his ministry was over, and Jesus Christ continued with the mission that He had to fulfill. And I think that Jesus Christ really did His ministry within God’s absolute sovereignty of life and death.
1. Jesus who had compassion
So Jesus Christ withdrew by boat to a solitary place, but the crowds followed him. These people had heard of the various miracles and signs that Jesus had performed, so even though Jesus Christ went by boat, the people went to meet them by foot in large crowds. Honestly, it is God’s grace that they were able to approach Jesus closely. In Mt. 14:14, Jesus Christ saw the large crowds and had compassion on them. Compassion is not just about Him pitying them, it’s that He really related with their hearts.
1) Sheep without a shepherd (Mt. 9:36)
(1) Tired state (Mt. 9:36)
He also said in Mt. 9:36, He took pity on the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. When He says they are like sheep without a shepherd, it means they have no guidance and are wandering, lost.
(2) Harassed – Helpless (Mt. 9:36)
It says they were helpless and harassed. They were helpless with no one to help them. He saw the state of people like this and had compassion on them. They went close to Jesus, and they were people who lived their lives to that point with no way.
(3) Sick (Mt. 14:14)
In Mt. 14:14, it says Jesus healed their sick. If a person lives their life without a master, they are bound to get exhausted and burnt out, and they are bound to get diseased in their spirit, mind, and body. If they live their life without God, and they think they are the way-maker of their own life, then they will live their life suffering and diseased. The Lord began to fix people like this.
2) Healed
(1) Authority in heaven and earth (Mt. 28:18)
What kind of being is Jesus Christ for Him to heal people like this? The Jesus Christ that we believe in has all authority in heaven and on earth in Matt. 28:18.
(2) Placed all things under his feet (Eph. 1:22, Phil. 3:21)
In Eph.1:22, it says God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything.
(3) Creator, sustaining all things by His powerful Word (Heb. 1:2-3)
Heb. 1:2-3 says God has created all things and sustains all things by His powerful Word. This Word, it says in John 1:1, is God Himself. This Word of God came to earth in the form of flesh, and in John 1:14, it says that is Jesus Christ. When the many people who are diseased and exhausted come before Jesus and hear His Word, then they will be healed.
3) Word
(1) Alive and active (Heb. 4:12)
The reason is because Heb. 4:12 says the Word of God is living and is active. We cannot see God with our eyes. The Word of God is God and Jesus Christ. That Word is the Word of Creation that created something out of nothing in Gen. 1:1-3.
(2) Heal spirit, flesh (Heb. 4:12)
(3) Judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb. 4:12)
All of the people who led their own lives as their own master until this point are exhausted, they are diseased. However, if they let go of their own thoughts and own standards and hold onto and receive the Word of God instead, it is sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, and they are healed. If the Word goes into our thoughts, mind, and body, we will be healed, and this Word of God will control me. We are only diseased and exhausted because we’ve lived our lives holding onto our own thoughts and standards until now.
The Word of God is not my standard; whatever I thought was correct was my standard. So, even between people, we are diseased and exhausted because I say I’m right and they’re wrong, but they say they’re right and I’m wrong. This means that Jesus Christ is not making the way in my life, but my thoughts are the way-maker in my life. We’ve lived our lives holding onto our own correctness; however, that is not the truth at all. If anything, it only brings me suffering and pain.
When the Word of God comes into people like this, they will be healed of diseases and free those who are enslaved. However, it turns out our spiritual state is seized by Satan, by making us think that we decide what is right, what is wrong, what is good, and what is evil like in Gen. 3:5. So, for us, we can only receive healing if we no longer think about what “my thoughts” and “my plans” are, but we turn around and ask, “What is God’s Word and what is God’s plan?” Especially for people who are successful, they achieve their success by their own strength so they are bound to receive great spiritual suffering later because they think success is everything and they have lived their lives for that. But then, what is God’s Word? That is why God’s Word must go in.
The Word of God must come into us for us to even get a gauge of what the attitudes and thoughts of our hearts are. If the Word of God does not come into us, we don’t even know what the attitudes and thoughts of our heart are. But when the Word of God truly goes into you, you’ll realize, “Oh wow, I’ve been going to church, but the attitudes and thoughts of my heart are against God.” Because people are living without the Word of God, they only follow whatever they think is correct, and they get obsessed with that.
People get obsessed with things like democracy, there is no God there. The standard is the opinion of the masses, not God’s Word. So, the reason why curses and disasters continue to overtake America is because the Word of God is not the standard. Because everyone grew up while they were very young, being taught that democracy is the very greatest, they are imprinted in that. Now, in the post-modern age, the individual’s thoughts and individual’s freedom is everything. Then, the world tells you, “You decide your life, and you decide the happiness in your life.”
Some religions say, “There is a different ‘you’ than the ‘you’ that you know. All of the greed and all of the suffering, that is not the real ‘you.’ There is a true ‘you that is the same as the universe,’” that is how they tempt people. They say, “The universe is originally yours so you need to bring in the energy of the universe into yourself. It’s not just this world, but there is another, different world. That is the way the New Age and Three Organizations are seizing people. Then, people who are so exhausted and in pain are going to think, “Oh, this is not the way I’m supposed to live my life,” and that is why they are deceived. This is how people are being seized through transcendental meditation.
What is the commonality in all that? It is “me.” The message centered on “me” is the message given from Satan in Gen. 3:5. The Bible tells us it cannot be me, that is why Jesus Christ must die on the cross. The thoughts that you have must be nailed on the cross. When we think that our thoughts are right, that’s when we think we don’t need Jesus. We must nail our thoughts on the cross and receive the Lord as our Lord, and His thoughts are my thoughts. Then, from that point on, you will be healed just as Jesus Christ was healing the diseased. The church is the place where you can know this accurate gospel, enjoy it, and relay it. But if there are any of you who think you are believing in Jesus Christ so you can gain some great strength, that is a large misconception. The more you live your walk of faith like that, the more you will be exhausted, tired, and diseased. The incident of the cross says, “It cannot be me,” because I’m born separated from God, it is a ‘me’ that will not work out. The Christian is the one who has died on the cross with Christ, and now the Lord lives within them as their Master.
If you really apply these things just a little bit in your life, you will be able to find the freedom and the peace that comes from God. The thing we must really keep in mind is we are not having the standard of God’s Word, we are so seized firmly by whatever I think is right. It doesn’t matter how right I am; it is not God’s Word. If I am right, it means my opponent is wrong, and everywhere this person goes, they will have disputes, because they think they are the standard for the whole world. Jesus Christ is the Standard, but they are living their walk of faith as if they are the standard, then of course they will not receive answers.
One example is that they are facing a problem, but it is a problem from their perspective, and then their life becomes a cycle of either solving the problem or falling into the problem. They need to find God’s plan within this situation because He is the Master, even now, but instead, we try to look for our own solution. It’s not a problem at all, but this person keeps on blabbing as if it is. There is no God there. But those are mostly people who go to church and believe in Jesus. They say, “This is a problem and that is a problem,” and that might be true from their perspective, but there is a plan of God that leads to blessings. You must very thoroughly enjoy these blessings in your everyday life.
You have no idea how firmly these standards hold onto you, the older you get. For me, it’s not as if I’m actively trying to do 24 hour prayer, but I always have to entrust all of my thoughts and all of my judgments to the Lord because I know I cannot do it. I continue to entrust it to the Lord, then I’m continually met with more peace and freedom. Otherwise, I will always be making my own judgments, and that gets programmed into my brain, and that is ultimately what oppresses me. Especially when we make judgments about politics, yes, we can do that, but we need to pray for the Lord to work there. That kind of way of life must be revealed in our everyday life and in our relationships with people.
“That person is wrong, that person has so many problems,” then that means you’re being your own god. If that person is a child of God, then God is with them, so the work and the life we must live is praying for God to hold onto them and work upon them. If somebody else is receiving God’s answers and guidance, that is not something we should be jealous about, we should see God’s work in that and actually applaud it. But the reason you are jealous is because you don’t want God to work upon that person, but upon you. Then, in order for you to get rid of your jealousy, you must change yourself. Both your inferiority complex as well as your arrogance is not the Word of God, and must be healed through God’s Word.
This is not something you can just pass over, because even right now, you are thinking. Even right now, you must change the thoughts that are coming into your head into the Lord. However, if you hold onto your own thoughts and make your own judgments about that as if you are your own god, they will be imprinted in your brain and will control you in the future. The Lord is alive right now and is working with life even now. If we entrust everything to Him, then He will begin to work as in John 2. It doesn’t matter how great or big of a situation you’re facing; the Lord will guide you through that. Though I am hard pressed on all sides, the Lord will never be crushed; no matter what kind of failure I’m in the middle of, the Lord will never fail. When that Lord becomes my Shepherd, then the people who are sick will be healed, and those who are mentally oppressed will be freed.
2. Miracle of five loaves and two fish
1) People gathered at a remote place (Mt. 14:15)
(1) Late time (Mt. 14:15)
(2) Request to buy food (Mt. 14:15)
After He was healing the sick, evening approached and the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him to send the crowds away, so they could go to the village and buy themselves food.
(3) Told them to give them something to eat (Mt. 14:16)
Then in Mt. 14:16, Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.” You give them something to eat. How could they give when they had nothing? We see the meaning of this very well.
2) Jesus takes action
(1) 5 loaves and 2 fish (Mt. 14:17)
(2) Bring to Jesus (Mt. 14:18)
(3) Gave thanks and broke the loaves (Mt. 14:19)
“We only have five loaves of bread and two fish.” Then Jesus Christ said, “Bring them here to Me,” and then Jesus Christ blessed this food.
3) Through the disciples (Mt. 14:19)
(1) Ate and were satisfied (Mt. 14:20)
(2) Twelve basketfuls of broken pieces left over (Mt. 14:20)
Then, God began to work so that all the crowds could continuously eat from just the five loaves of bread and two fish. Yes, the Lord can make something out of nothing, but He tells us to bring what we have to the Lord. “You give it to them.” There are many things inside of this. God is One Who can work even now, invisibly When we give what we have to the Lord, the Lord can use five loaves of bread and two fish to feed over 10,000 people. When our things are no longer our things, they are entrusted to the hand of the Lord.
(3) About 5,000 men, besides women and children, ate (Mt. 14:21)
The fact is that there were about 5,000 men, besides women and children, means there were over 10,000 people. This same story was in John, and they said they needed 200 denarii. 1 denarius is the wage earned by one day’s labor. Then, if there’s 200 denarii worth of food means the Lord has spent about eight months of wages to feed the people. But what’s important is that it is when the people gave what they had to the Lord. So, when Jesus Christ says, “You give them something to eat,” that is important. God is somebody who can make something out of nothing, but He works through people. Whenever whatever is in someone’s hand is given to the Lord, He can work to fill our needs.
In Mt. 14:20, it says they had eaten and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of leftovers. The Lord’s work has no lacking; this is the same thing as when David said, “The LORD is my Shepherd; I lack nothing.” When we entrust our business to the hand of the Lord, when we entrust our studies to the Lord, when we entrust our entire life to the Lord, then healing and miracles take place. If there are any of you who are suffering, exhausted, or in pain because of your mental state, your physical state, or financial state, may you change your Lord. If somebody has very complicated thoughts, it is because they are their own Lord; I hope you will entrust them to the Lord. If there are any of you who think very deeply, it is because you are your own Lord, so I hope you will entrust your thoughts to the Lord.
Yes, it is important for you to study diligently, but the Lord must work upon your studies, that doesn’t mean you will be good or bad at your studies, but the Lord will use your studies for His will and power. That is how you will not be diseased spiritually, mentally, or physically. Yes, people can try to do well on their own, but the Lord is not their Lord. Then later on, they will continuously be exhausted, diseased, and suffering. Then, they have no choice but to look for ways to alleviate their own suffering through things like drugs. Sometimes, even marriage will be a bother for that person so they will not get married. Later on, no matter how educated they are, they will get into a state where they cannot connect or communicate with anyone because that is how much they are suffering, then they’ll be in a job where they cannot relate or communicate with others, then they are in a state where they have no choice but to live at home alone. Why? The Lord must be our Shepherd and guide our path. That’s what the kids nowadays are like. In the age of postmodernism, their emotions are everything. They don’t need logic and things like that; whatever they feel is the standard. They are completely their own god like in Gen. 3. Then, the only result that can follow is being sick, mentally and spiritually. In this kind of age, we must go before the Lord, before His Word. We are not just keeping these words as reference, but when these words become our center, we will become healed and liberated.
3. Jesus performs a miracle
1) People’s reaction – Non-essential
(1) Prophet who is to come into the world (Jn. 6:14)
It records the same incident of the five loaves and two fish in John 6. What happens after that? John 6:14 says, after the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the prophet who is the one to come into the world, spoken about in Malachi.”
(2) Make Jesus king (Jn. 6:15)
Then in John 6:15, Jesus knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. These are the reactions of people who followed the miracle of the five loaves and two fish.
(3) Look for Jesus because they had their fill (Jn. 6:26)
The reason why these people were looking for Jesus with such zeal after the miracles of five loaves and two fish is because in John 6:26, “Jesus Christ answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate your loaves and had your fill.’”
2) Jesus’ Word – Essence
(1) Not food that spoils, food that endures to eternal life (Jn. 6:27)
Then He says in Jn. 6:27, “Do not work for food that spoils, but work for food that endures to eternal life.”
(2) Ate the manna, bread from heaven (Jn. 6:31,49)
In Jn. 6:31, He says, “Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness.” He gave them bread from heaven to eat, just as Jesus Christ had fed the crowds with five loaves and two fish today, but they are not interested in the God Who gave them the food; instead, they are interested in the food itself and having their own fill. All the people who were interested in food in the Old Testament died in the wilderness.
(3) I am the bread of life – Eternal life (Jn. 6:35)
Even though they were eating the same manna from heaven, the people who were interested in the Word of Life of God went into the land of Canaan. When they went into the land of Canaan, they received the answers of conquering the culture of the world. They were people who were able to receive all the support of God and change the culture of the world into the culture of God’s Kingdom. Then in John 6:35, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life,” I am eternal. “Whoever believes in Me will never go hungry and they will never be thirsty.” Through the miracles and the signs, I hope you will concentrate on Jesus Christ.
There are some people who believe in Jesus Christ after their disease is healed, but that person is bound by their disease. They are not seized by Jesus Christ Who has healed their disease, but instead, they are seized by the disease itself being healed. They keep on staying focused on the miracles the Lord did in their lives, or other manifestations of it. But instead, we must concentrate on Jesus Christ Who actually did that, then what confession will we make? It is David’s confession, “The LORD is my Shepherd; I lack nothing. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Knowing Jesus Christ Himself is the reason why God shows us signs and miracles. That was the Apostle Paul, “Wow, He was the Christ, and now, I am only racing towards that for which I have been called by Christ Jesus, I am not racing towards any miracles,” that’s why he was able to continuously confirm that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden within Christ Jesus. I hope as we think about the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, you will have the blessing of concentrating on Jesus Christ Himself.
3) Word of life – Save the fundamentals
(1) Will never go hungry spiritually (Jn. 6:35)
(2) Will never be thirsty spiritually (Jn. 6:35)
Jn. 6:35 says this bread of Life will never leave you hungry. Try being spiritually hungry. You will be so thirsty and desperate that it’ll be mental suffering for you. What happens if you’re spiritually thirsty? You will look around anywhere, looking for something. Because you are so spiritually thirsty and hungry, you’ll go around, doing anything you can to make that feel better. “What if I meet this person? What if I change my job or gain success? Will it be better if I change my hair or my clothes?” None of that will work, your spiritual hunger and thirst will only be solved when the bread of Life goes into you. The spiritual things are invisible so we don’t know it, so even if we have accomplished everything, we’re still thirsty for something. Even though I’ve lived so diligently, I’m still hungry. Then, in order to try to fill our void, we do something else. However, if you eat God’s Word of Life, you will not be thirsty and you will not be hungry.
(3) Father’s will – Believe in Jesus and have eternal life (Jn. 6:40)
Then in John 6:40, Jesus says, “My Father’s will is that everyone believes in Me and has eternal life.” Even in the midst of difficulty and problems, I hope you will hold onto Jesus Christ’s Word of Life. Even if you are in the midst of sickness, I hope you will hold onto the words of Life. That foundation must be changed in order for everything else to be resolved. That is how you need to study and run your business, too. You must begin your order and priority with the Word. When the Word tells you to go, you go; when the Word tells you to stop, you stop. When the Word moves very quickly, then you have to move with it. But if there are people whose thoughts are faster or ahead of the Word, it may feel like things are working out for them, but they never will, because they are not aligned with the Lord Who is moving all of the universe. I hope you will set the standard of your tempo on the Word.
If we have received this grace, then the mission Jesus Christ gives to us is to look out into the field and to see the sheep without a shepherd and to have compassion on them. If I don’t have the heart of compassion for them, then there’s nothing I can do for them. You need to look out into the field and see that these people are living without God, helpless and wandering, in order for you to be aligned with God. Then, when Jesus Christ’s words are relayed to them, they will be healed and they will come to life. Yes, we should give food to the poor, but that is not our goal; the real goal is for them to come to life by receiving the Word of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
1. Concentrate on God’s Word (Ac. 1:1,3)
2. Concentrate on the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ac. 1:8,14)
3. Concentrate on the life of saving lives (Ac. 2-28)
I believe that throughout the week, whenever we concentrate on God and Jesus Christ’s Word of Life, we will receive the filling of the holy spirit and then we will receive the power to save people. Throughout the week, may we have the life where, by concentrating on Jesus Christ, our life is fundamentally healed to save others.
Message Prayer
Let us pray together holding onto the Word we have received.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Prayer
God, we thank You. We thank You because Jesus Christ Who has solved all problems on the cross, died and resurrected, and is now living within us as our Lord and Master. We believe that you will guide us through the Word and prayer and will be led by the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that throughout the week, there will be works and healing taking place, and by concentrating on the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, we will see the answer of world evangelization to the 237 nations.
God, we thank You. We pray that the Words of Life will forever be fulfilled through the pastor’s wife who is visiting us today. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants who desire to concentrate on only the Words of Jesus Christ, to save lives,
be with us from now until forevermore always, amen.