Sunday Sermon | The Gospel of Mark: More Than Enough

Sea of Galilee to rescue his disciples in a storm. Two miracles, back-to-back, and in this message from our study of the Gospel of Mark, Pastor Jason Smith shows us why Mark tells them together.

The disciples watched Jesus provide more than enough when the task was impossible. But hours later, in the middle of a storm, they missed him completely. Jason walks through what they should have remembered and what it means for us when obedience leads us somewhere we cannot handle on our own.

Scripture: Mark 6:33-52
Series: Gospel of Mark
Speaker: Pastor Jason Smith

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Transcript

Welcome And Communion Ground Rules

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This is the Gospel of Mark. Well, good morning, church family. Turn with me in your Bibles to Mark chapter 6. Mark chapter 6. If you're a guest with us this morning, let me introduce myself. My name is Jason Smith. I have the awesome privilege of being the pastor here at First Baptist Bernie. And I want to welcome you. Really glad that you are here this morning. Church family, we have the privilege of taking the Lord's Supper together. Okay? And so if on your way in you did not get elements and you want to participate with us, lift up your hand and we will have some deacons nearby pop around, keep your hand up. They will make sure that you get it. Okay. If you are a guest with us, listen to me. If you are a born-again believer, we welcome you to participate with us. Okay? If you're just checking out Jesus and you're curious, we are really glad that you are here. Really glad. We want you to listen. So these elements, while bread and grape juice, for us, they are a picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just like baptism, right? We participate in the gospel. This is his uh this is a remembrance of his broken body and shed blood. So believer, the scripture tells us, do not take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. So I'm gonna ask you, even now, begin preparing your heart. Okay? That the Spirit would be free to examine you. Is your faith completely in the finished work of Jesus Christ? In his work on the cross and not your own. And is he your king? Are you following him obediently? Okay? Allow the Spirit to examine you. Alright, we're gonna take that together at the end of the sermon.

A Personal Story Of Waiting

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So, as many of you know, uh, the first seven years of Lane Mai's marriage, we struggled with infertility. And if I'm honest, it was one of the most difficult seasons of faith that we ever walked through. You see, we knew that God had called us into ministry. I'd left engineering, and we had moved to seminary, and we put our yes on the table, right? We're like, God, lead us wherever you want us to go. But it just felt like every door was closing. We couldn't have kids, and we couldn't afford to adopt. Now, if you've ever been through a season like this, you know the questions that began to rise up in your heart. God, what are you doing? Do I really believe that you want good for me? Why would you lead us here? And then it seems like nothing's working out. Finally, after I received my first ministry position, we scraped up enough money to begin the adoption process. Okay? We emptied our savings account only to go to our first meeting and be told that it would be a two and a half year wait. I remember the drive home. Both my wife and I began to cry as we processed, and at some point one of us said, Why can't anything just work out for us? Why does it always have to be hard? You see, at the time we could not see what God was doing. But that wasn't the end of the story, was it? See, what we didn't know was God was just about to reveal that he had been working the whole time. Now, I think every Christian goes through moments like that. Okay? Not necessarily infertility, but moments where Jesus calls you to follow him, and as you step out in faith, things get harder. Right? You thought your obedience might lead to everything's gonna be easy, but actually it led to moments of faith. That's exactly where we find the disciples in Mark chapter 6. Jesus has sent them out into kingdom ministry, right? If you are a disciple, you are called into kingdom ministry. But then, catch this, he gives them tasks that they cannot accomplish. He sends them into a storm that they cannot overcome. And in both of those moments, they have to answer the question Can I trust the one who called me? That he is sufficient for everything that he has asked me to do.

Mark 6 Reading Two Miracles

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So I want you to listen as I read Mark chapter 6, beginning in verse 33. Uh, by the way, you guys, I had hair back in the day, you know that. All right. I was a good-looking dude. That's what I'm saying. Alright. So I'm gonna read uh two back-to-back accounts. Uh the feeding of the 5,000, and then Jesus walks on water. Okay. The people, that's that's a crowd, saw them, that's Jesus and the disciples, going, and they recognized them, and they uh ran there together on foot from all the cities and got there ahead of them. Now when Jesus went ashore, he saw the large crowd, and he felt compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it was already quite late, the disciples came to him and said, This place is desolate, and is already quite late. Send them away so that they will be able to go into the surrounding uh countryside and villages and buy something to eat. But he answered them and said, You give them something to eat. And they said to him, Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give to give them something to eat? And he said, How many loaves do you have? Go look. And when they looked and found out, they had five and two fish. And he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. And then they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties, and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he blessed the food, and he broke the loaves, and he kept giving them to the disciples to set it before them. And he divided up the two fish among them all, and they all ate and were satisfied. And then they uh picked up twelve full baskets of broken pieces and also of the fish, and there were five thousand men who ate the loaves. Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side of Bethsaida, while he himself was sending away the crowd. And after bidding them farewell, he left for the mountain to pray. Now, when it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea, and he intended to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and they cried out, for they saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke with them and said to them, Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped. And then they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened. Will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, I know all across this room that there are so many that are in trials, are in the storms of life. And Father, I pray that your word would encourage us and that your spirit would teach us, that we can trust your character, that we can look back at times in our lives and see that you are faithful and you will be faithful again. And so, Father, I pray that your spirit would teach us profoundly. You desire faith in us because faith is trusting you, your character. We can trust you. And so we walk forward in that faith. We pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Lesson Hidden In The Loaves

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Alright, so I have to confess something. That is that I'm very excited to teach this passage because I've read it so many times and missed what Mark was doing. It was only in studying in this this week. Right? So if you are anything like me, you read it and you were like, okay, Jesus feeds 5,000. He walks on water. The point is, Jesus is God. All right, we'll worship him. Awesome. Now, absolutely that is true, but that is not actually the point that Mark is making. Okay? Look again to those last two verses. Mark is emphasizing something else for us. Then Jesus got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped, and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the loaves, but their heart was hardened. See, did you catch the fact that Mark says the disciples failed to understand the loaves? Not the storm, not Jesus walking on water, the loaves, the account before. So it forces you and I to stop and ask well, what does feeding 5,000 men have to do with the storm on the sea? Well, apparently everything. Jesus expected that his disciples would learn something about his character through the account of the loaves, and then he expected them to apply it to hours later as they're on the sea and the storm comes upon them. But they didn't. They didn't apply it. And it's not because they lacked knowledge, and it's not because they needed another miracle. No, actuher, we are told, they hardened their hearts to what the Spirit wanted to teach them. They failed because they hardened their hearts to hear the Spirit teaching them about the character of Jesus. This is actually a lesson of faith. And Mark wants us to learn it because they missed it. So as we go through these accounts, we have to ask one question. What was that lesson from the loaves that they should have applied when they faced the storm? Recall where we are in Mark's gospel. Jesus is no longer teaching his disciples in the classroom, he has sent them into the practice field. Just a few verses earlier, we saw that Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs, right? Into the kingdom mission. As a disciple, called into kingdom mission. And when they return from their mission, they are exhilarated. People repented at their preaching. Demons fled. They healed people. And immediately upon their return, Jesus is waiting with a boat, and he says to them, Come away by yourselves to a secluded place that we may rest a while. So they get into the boat for a much-needed retreat. But then Mark also tells us that the crowds were watching and following, and that they ran along the shore to meet them on the other side. By the way, in your mind, if you haven't been to Israel, the Sea of Galilee is a large lake. Okay? It's not the ocean. That's how come you're going to run along the shore and catch up to them. Okay? So there's going to be no rest for the disciples. Now, we would all understand if we saw Jesus' response and he was very frustrated. Okay? Ministry is tiring, his team is worn out. But that's not how Jesus responds. No, actually, we're told he felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. The crowds are helpless and leaderless and desperate. And the good shepherd is moved with compassion. So he begins to teach them. He has them all sit down in the green grass. Mark intentionally echoes Psalm 23 for us. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. You see, the good shepherd of Israel has come. The disciples are watching Jesus' compassion. Okay? He sees the way that he interacts. And the day wears on, and then they begin to realize hey, no one has had anything to eat. They're miles from town. We're told it's a desolate place. And so they tap Jesus on the shoulder. We should send them away so that they can go and buy themselves something to eat. But Jesus' response is emphatic. You give them something to eat. How can you imagine the silence? There's nearly 10,000 people on the hillside that day. The disciples don't have hardly any money. There's nowhere to get food. And so they ask, shall we come up with 200 denarii to feed all these people? In today's terms, you would hear, Jesus, you want us to come up with $25,000 to in an instant feed 10,000 people? You see, the assignment is impossible. And that's exactly where Jesus wants them. So Jesus asks, Well, how many loaves do you have? And the disciples begin to look around. And John's gospel tells us they come across a little boy who has a lunch. Five loaves and two fish. That's it. And Jesus has all the people sit in groups. He takes the bread, he looks up to heaven, he blesses it, breaks it, and then he begins to fill a basket and give one to each disciple. And as they take that basket to those groups of fifty and hundreds, they know there's no way this isn't gonna run out. But as it gets passed around, every time someone reaches in, there is more. And again, there is more. And they can't believe it. And Mark tells us that they eat until everyone is satisfied. And when it's all over, the disciples pick up, it says, twelve baskets full of leftovers. So that each disciple got to carry back and see. Everyone is they had all that they wanted, and there was still leftovers of bread and fish. Now don't miss what Jesus is teaching them. He's called them into his kingdom work, but the task is impossible. They discover that they are completely insufficient. Okay? They exhaust all of their resources, but then Jesus becomes everything that they need to accomplish what he has called them to. That is the lesson of the loaves. If they do not harden their heart and if they listen to the voice of the Spirit to teach them about Jesus' character, immediately after the miracle, Jesus made them get into a boat and go on the other side. That's

Jesus Sees The Stormy Boat

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what it says. He made them get into a boat and go. And Jesus will dismiss the crowd and he will go up on the mountain to pray. As they are crossing the Sea of Galilee, a strong wind comes up, and they for hours strain at the oars. They are giving everything that they have and they are making no progress. Then Mark gives an incredible detail. Jesus sees them. He knows exactly where they are. And yet, we are told he waits until the fourth watch of the night, just before dawn. For nearly eight hours they struggle, exhausted, helpless. They are at the end of themselves. And then Jesus comes walking on the water. The one who had calmed the sea earlier in Mark now walks upon it. And then Mark says something fascinating. It says that Jesus intended to pass by. Now, in your mind, that's not uh Jesus was just gonna like, hey guys, what's up? And just keep on walking. No, this is actually a reference to the Old Testament. If you remember back to Moses on Mount Sinai, okay, when Moses asked God to see his glory, and God said, You can see my back. I will hide you in the cleft of the rock and I will pass by. That entire account is about God's revealed glory passing by. And later, Elijah goes to Mount Sinai, and the same phraseology is used, and that the Lord passed by. And so to hear, Jesus intends to reveal his glory to his disciples, this incredible climactic moment. But here's where tragedy occurs. Because the disciples do not recognize him. See, instead of seeing their Savior, they see a ghost. As if something worse has arrived. And so Jesus immediately says, Fear not, right? Take courage. It is I, do not be afraid. And he steps into the boat, and the wind stops, and then Mark closes with our correction. They had not gained insight from the incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. You see, the storm wasn't the real problem. Their understanding of Jesus was. So what did they miss? Remember, Mark is preaching to us because they missed it, and he doesn't want us to miss it. So when you compare these two stories side by side, a pattern begins to emerge.

When Obedience Leads To Trials

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First thing I want you to notice. The disciples did not end up in an impossible situation because they sinned. They are actually there because they were obedient. Jesus told them, feed the crowd. Jesus told them, get in the boat. Their obedience led to a situation that could not be overcome. Now, beloved, that's a very important lesson for us. Right? Because how often do we quietly assume that if I'm in the center of God's will, everything will be easy for me? And then the storm comes. The diagnosis, the prodigal child, the financial pressure, the ministry that he's called you into, that nothing seems to be working out. And we begin to wonder, did I miss God? Have I sinned? Have I done something? And Mark says, listen, sometimes the storm isn't evidence that you've wandered from Jesus. Sometimes the storm is evidence that you're following him. But notice something else. In both instances, Jesus intentionally exposes their insufficiency. You give them something to eat. Okay? Across the sea. In both assignments, they are forced to admit we don't have enough. And that's exactly where Jesus wants them. And not because he delights in our weakness, but because faith begins where self-sufficiency ends. And then comes probably the hardest part. We're told Jesus waits. He knew exactly where they were, and yet he waited. For hours they rode and struggled and made no progress. We've been there, right? But friend, Jesus did not abandon them. He was teaching them to wait on him. He was teaching them that the kingdom is not sustained by their strength, and nor is it your strength. And that brings us to the real crisis. Because when Jesus finally comes, they don't recognize him. They, in fact, expected another threat instead of their Savior. Why? See, because they had forgotten who Jesus was in the lesson of the loaves. Jesus had been revealed as the compassionate one, the one who enters in when the task is impossible. He is the savior. It's his kingdom, it's his work. All of that has been revealed, but they do not see that because their circumstances have become bigger than their view of Jesus. Now we can all say an amen to that. Because that's exactly what happens to us. We begin asking, God, did I do something wrong? Have I missed you? Are you punishing me? Have you forgotten me? Maybe you rescue other people, but you don't rescue me. You see, the greatest battle isn't usually with our circumstances, is actually what we believe about Jesus in the midst of those circumstances. So you say, What should the disciples have done? I mean, could you imagine in the storm, Peter turning to the other disciples and saying, fellas, remember the loaves, okay? When we couldn't, Jesus could. And he sent us here, okay? He called us into the storm, he will not abandon us. He won't. And I don't know how, and and I don't see it yet, but I I He is faithful. And he will sustain us. He is faithful and he is sufficient. You see, faith looks back and remembers and says, you know what? He's faithful. Remember what he brought you through? Do you remember? All those times you doubted and he brought you through. You said, there's no way this circumstance can work out, and he brought you through. And then faith says, I trust his character, and so now I can look forward, and even though I cannot see. I'm in the midst of the storm. I can't see past my nose, God. I trust you. I trust your character. Because I see the cross with clarity. I can look into darkness and expect that the Savior's going to show up. I'm not a prophet. I don't know how. Don't know what it's exactly going to look like, but he's going to show up. You see, this miracle isn't about simply Jesus multiplying bread. It's about the one that calls you is sufficient for everything that he calls you to do. And so, believer, whatever Jesus has called you to do, love your spouse. Raise your kids. Forgive those who hurt you. Step out into kingdom ministry. Share the gospel. Fight sin. He is sufficient. He has always been sufficient and he always will be. He never intended for you to do it in your own strength. He wants to do it through you, through his strength.

Lord's Supper Remember And Trust

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So I want you to prepare the Lord's Supper. We're going to start with the bread. Believer, I want you to remember the sufficiency of Jesus Christ on the cross. His body broken for you. I want you to remember that the scripture says he loves you while you were his enemy. Long before you ever turned to him, he loved you and died for you and pursued you. And you come to him by faith alone, in the complete sufficiency. Jesus plus nothing. And I want you to rest in that. As a 15-year-old, and he was sufficient. And he is sufficient. So I'm going to give you a few moments. I want you to just declare back to Jesus by faith the sufficiency of the gospel. And then we'll take this together. Now, church, I want you to prepare the cup. And so in the same way that we look back at the faithfulness of God, I have no doubt every one of us in this room have trials and storms in our life, things that are ahead of us that we cannot see, that we do not understand. I'm going to give you a moment to apply the sermon, right? Because whether you sit there alone, whether you sit there with your spouse or family, there are issues that you are dealing with that I want you to look ahead and I want you to say to your King and Savior, I trust you. I trust you. I cannot see. But I trust your character. I know who you are. You have been faithful, and you will be faithful. So I'm going to give you a moment, believer, to do that, and we will take this together.

Final Prayer Of Faith

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It is the new covenant in my blood. Will you pray with me? King Jesus, we love you. You have loved us while we were your enemies. You have pursued us, you have transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into your kingdom. And Father, we declare that you are faithful. And Father, I know so many times in our lives when we come to the end of ourselves, we think that we've done something wrong, or that you've led us down a dead-end road. But God, you are faithful. And help us to apply this text. Help us to genuinely believe and to trust that you, King Jesus, are working all things for our good, just like you've promised. And help us to trust your character. We believe that you are good. You have proven yourself time and time again. And so we step out and we walk in faith. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.