Miraculous Supper

The story of the five loaves and two fish is an amazing miracle. Jesus took the disciples up in a mountain place for a season of rest. That didn't happen because the people followed Jesus. Some were sick and desired healing, others, heard that Jesus healed, and wanted to see the show. Some believed, most didn't. Lost, like sheep without a shepherd, the people wandered to Jesus and he had compassion. He healed and taught, but nightfall approached and the disciples figured it was time for everyone to go home. A hungry crowd in a desert place in the wilderness without the ability get something to eat is a logistical nightmare. If Jesus sent them home now, they could make it to a town or back home in time to find something to eat.

Not only did Jesus not send the crowd home, but told Philip to feed them. Philip, being very practical mentioned that even if they found someplace to buy food, they didn't have enough money between them to buy enough food to feed so many people – 5,000 men not counting the women and children. That's a lot of mouths to feed, especially if there were any teenage boys in the crowd. Five loaves. Two fish. Jesus sat everyone down and divided them up into groups. He took the food, prayed and blessed the food, then distributed what they had to the disciples, then instructed the disciples to pass it out to the crowd. Peter reached into his basket, and gave some food to the first man and did the same for the second. And the third. And the fourth. And he looked in his basket, and there was still bread and fish. And then he kept going. To the 50th man, through the 100th man, through the 1000th man and Peter's basket still had bread and fish. By the time the disciples were finished, and everyone ate and was satisfied, with 12 baskets leftover.

What an amazing act of divine power! It is impossible to imagine how it happened because it was a miracle and the only explanation is God’s miraculous power. Chesterton wrote, “The believers in miracles accept them (rightly or wrongly) because they have evidence for them. The disbelievers in miracles deny them (rightly or wrongly) because they have a doctrine against them.” We have this story so you would believe in Jesus. Not just believe it happened, or believe in the supernatural, but believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. To believe Jesus came to seek and save the lost. To believe in this man, who had the power to heal the sick and feed the multitude has the power to forgive sins. The tragedy of this story is in John’s account, we learn the people ate the bread and the fish, but did not “eat” the Bread of Life, desiring physical healing, and a full belly, but did not  Christ nor his salvation.

Joyful Prisoner

Unjustly imprisoned and far from home, with little hope release, Paul is a man full of joy (Philippians 1:3-8). That is amazing. Who would blame him if here were full of bitterness and anger at the injustice of his situation? But Paul is full of joy is because Paul is full of love. True, Biblical, godly love. The apostle is constrained and motivated by the love of God and this love fills him with great joy. In Paul, we see an unselfish love that results in undiminished joy. A joy that finds itself in the faithfulness of others. A joy found in the faithfulness of God –a compassionate and caring joy in God’s glory in the life of the church.

Every time Paul thought of the Philippians and each time he prayed for them he was filled with joy.  You can tell how much Paul loved these people by how often he prays for them. I wonder if we could say the same for ourselves? How often do you pray for your loved ones? How often do you pray for their spiritual needs? Do you really care for a person if you never pray for them? Paul recognizes all good gifts come from God, especially and including friendship and brotherhood.

Paul is joyful when he prays, not only because his love for the Philippian church, but also because of their love for him. Honestly, it's not a joy to pray for our enemies. It's not a joy to pray for the wayward. The heart breaks when friends separate, loved ones betray us, family members go astray, or disaster strikes (have you ever considered how your unfaithfulness brings sorrow to the heart of those that love you? How many tears are shed in your beloved's prayer closet because of your rebellion?). Certainly we find comfort and peace that leads to joy in those situations, but in our text, Paul's existing joy leads to prayer. It was a pleasant thing to pray for people who loved him and loved the Lord. Perhaps you don't have the joy Paul has because your prayer life consists only of praying for the sick and praying for the wayward. Don't stop doing that. But your faithful friends need prayer. Your faithful parents need prayer. Your faithful pastor needs prayer, and how joyful it is to pray for those walking with Christ! Praise God for the good he is doing in your life.

Paul rejoiced in the fellowship of the gospel, which is a shared belief, or a shared goal in a deep, abiding, shared community. Paul found joy in the friendship of this fellowship of the gospel. The tie that bound them together, was their love for the same Saviour, and the love of telling the good news about him. Because of his love for Christ, his love of the brethren, and the fellowship they had in serving Christ, Paul rejoiced, no matter his situation. Don't base your joy in the world, but find joy in Christ.

If by Rudyard Kipling

The Circe Institute has a new podcast called The Daily Poem. It's interesting to listen to someone read a poem, and how their interpretation impacts their reading. Anyway, check it out, subscribe, and so forth. Listen and read If, by Rudyard Kipling.

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

If you want to deep dive on a poem with a former Navy Seal, check out this podcast:

God Does Not Change

Someone wrote, “The only thing constant is change.”  In the last 200 years we went from riding horses to flying to the moon. In fifty years we have gone to amazement over space travel to yawning over NASA. We complain when our flights are delayed rather than in awe that we can fly. We can go from West Virginia to California in a half a day's time. 200 years ago, you could leave Virginia a family of five and arrive in California a family of six. Science, technology, biology, all have undergone significant shifts. I worked for AT&T when they rolled out the first iphone. It was amazing to navigate the phone by touching a screen. Now, it's so common, I've seen babies swipe picture frames, thinking it was a device.  Our government is changing, our way of life will most likely have to change. I had a joke for the kids about Social Security, but they probably won't get it. “The only thing constant is change.” But, that quote isn’t right. God never changes, never thinks about changing, never has considered changing, and actually couldn’t change.  In a time of a continual change in thought, philosophy, governments, technology and way of life, I derive great comfort from the fact that God never changes. James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

God is "independent" in that He is self-sufficient, Self-satisfied needing nothing or no one. Bavinck said, “Every change is foreign to God. In him there is no change in time, for he is eternal; nor in location, for he is omnipresent; nor in essence, for he is pure being." God freely chose to create and was under no obligation or was it a necessity to create the universe and everything in it. For his own good purpose, for his own good pleasure, from his own sovereign choice, and for his own glory God created the heavens and earth. God cannot change and does not change. Why do you change your mind? Maybe you found out you were wrong about something. Perhaps, when you formed your opinion, you didn't have all the information. Maybe time and maturity has shifted your opinion and circumstances have changed your mind. There is no reason that God would change his mind. Being perfect, all knowing, omnipresent, and all powerful, there is no circumstance that could arise where God would need to change. Plus, God being holy, cannot change because he is perfect. You can only change to get better or worse, and since God is perfect how or why would he change?

The God who promised salvation, does not change. The God who said "whosoever believeth in me, shall not perish" doesn't change. God's promises are sure and trust worthy, because he does not change and are a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6:13-20).

Do you Pray for Ministers?

“Do you pray for the men who stand to preach & teach in the church - and elsewhere—pleading with God for a blessing upon the work?  Good—there will be no success without it! Do you support the church with cheerful generosity financially and in other ways, so that the local church [and missionaries] might spread the gospel? Excellent—much to be commended! Do you encourage others who engage in their work, drawing alongside truehearted brothers & sisters, assuring them of your prayers and concern for them? Praise God – much to be appreciated. Do you personally exercise your particular obligation and privately to teach transgressors God’s ways?”                                           

Jeremy Walker  – The Brokenhearted Evangelist

Aim and Application

 Did Jesus successfully accomplish what He set out to do? Isaiah 53:11-12 gives us insight to the aim and application of redemption. Jesus said himself in Luke 19:10, " For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." The Lord's stated purpose was to seek and save the lost. Was he successful? The angelic announcement also provides the mission statement of our Lord in Matthew 1:20-21 where it says, "he shall save his people from their sins." Not he would try. Not that he would offer, but he shall, without question and without fail, save his people. The Father has chosen a people, the son came to save the people the Father gave him, and the Spirit draws, gives life, and indwells those Christ died for.  The sacrifice Christ made on the cross was made for the people the Father gave him. Our text in Isaiah says the same thing that Matthew and Luke say, Jesus shall, without question and without fail, justify many, not every and not all. Who is it that will be justified? Those whom "he shall bear their iniquities." Jesus Christ is a perfect Saviour.

                  

On the cross, Jesus made atoned for the sins of his people, satisfying God’s justice. The aim of that sacrifice, was  to save the people Christ came for, and give them eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. The sacrifice Christ made on the cross was made for His people. All that Christ redeemed shall be saved because of redemption. Think about the words of salvation. To redeem is to purchase. To save is to rescue and deliver. Justify is a legal term to declare one innocent. These are specific terms – mathematical, financial, and judicial expressions. Redemption, salvation, and justification are acts that are done to us, not acts we contribute to.

Before the foundation of the world, God had chosen a people. Christ, the Father and the Spirit had an aim, and unified will in the eternal covenant; Christ came to the Earth, to obtain and provide eternal redemption for His people. The means by which we are saved was the substitutionary sacrifice, and the work on Calvary was not a general work, but a judicial work; a specific work for a predetermined purpose. The aim  of redemption was a total success.  Christ fully achieved what He came to accomplish.  The sacrifice Christ made on the cross was made for His people –  redemption, accomplished and applied.  

Isaiah 53:12. Christ will divide the spoil. Christ will reign over his victors, because he poured out his soul unto death. Wait, what? How is that possible? How can Christ be victorious and divide the spoils as a victorious king if he was despised, rejected, deemed forsaken, crushed by the Father and died and laid in a rich man's tomb? Simply stated, it's possible because he wasn't in the grave very long. Three days and three nights to be precise. He arose.