Matthew 14:22-33 Take a Leap of Faith and Get Out of the Boat

Three local ministers decided to go fishing one day. They got into a boat, went a short distance out on the lake, and started fishing. After a few hours, one minister ran out of bait. Since they were close to the shore, he stepped over the side of the boat and walked across the water to the bait shop. He bought some more bait, walked back to the boat and got back into the boat.

A little while later, the second minister ran out of bait. He stepped over the side of the boat and walked to the bait shop. He bought some more bait, walked back to the boat and got back in.

A few minutes later, the third minister, who was new to the area, also ran out of bait. He stepped over the side of the boat, and almost drowned!!!!! The other two ministers pulled him back into the boat. One of them said to the other, “I KNEW we should have shown him where the stepping stones were!!!!!!”  

Matthew 14:22-33 is a story about taking a leap of faith. Peter took a leap of faith by literally getting out of the boat when he heard Jesus’ call.  This same call goes out to all of us today. We are called to take a leap of faith when Jesus calls us. It means getting out of the boats that we call our comfortable lives. Peter left the safety and security of the boat to face the uncertainty of Jesus’ call. When we leave our boats, we have to keep our focus on Jesus. Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus, and like Peter, we will fail in our mission if we lose sight of the reason for our mission-Jesus.

Faith is never constant. It comes and goes with the varying circumstances in our lives. We will have our miraculous moments in life, our mountaintop experiences. But mountaintops prepare us for the valleys of life, and calm waters prepare us for the storms of life. Peter is the all too human representative of us all-daring, then doubting, and finally dependent on the Lord for what we need most, our salvation.

When we ride out the storms of life, we can take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is just an arm’s length away. The waves don’t bother him, and he is not shaken by the currents. He will help us conquer the storm if we focus on him instead of the storm. He is our anchor in times of trouble. In the words of the old hymn:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift and the cables strain

Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move

Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love

 

There are times when we might think that we have lost Jesus, but he never loses sight of us. When faith reigns, fear has no place. There is no shame in asking for help from Jesus. When we ask for help from him, we can look back on any tough times and be comforted. We can continue forward with courage knowing that the blessed assurance we have in his presence is unconditional.

We are to build our faith on what the Word of God says. We don’t just step out and say, “By faith, I want this. By faith, I demand that.” Instead, we are to ask ourselves, “What does the Scripture teach? What should I be praying for? What should I be asking for?” Then we must pray accordingly. That’s what Peter did, and as long as he had his eyes on Jesus, he was able to do the impossible.  

Faith is the refusal to panic, especially since there is no safety net. Faith is a quiet certainty that God keeps his promises, especially the promise to not leave us or forsake us. When our faith lapses, all we have to do is call out to Jesus through prayer. If Jesus found it necessary to pray, what more motivation do we need to pray, especially when life is difficult? When we walk in faith with the master of the wind and waves, we will survive. When we choose to focus on our cares and worries, we raise our worries to the same status as the promises of Jesus. But, which is more important-the ability of Jesus to care for us or the concerns we have about our circumstances?

The storms of life can be best managed through prayer. Jesus spent a great deal of his time in prayer. He made this a regular practice because he knew he could do nothing apart from his father. We need to have the same mindset. If we are rushing through our days, never taking the time to stop, pray and listen to God, we will become exhausted easily and burned out with life. Our refreshment begins with an intimate relationship with the Lord, and it can only be accomplished through prayer and frequent time spent in his presence.

Jesus’ presence does not result in instant miracles or answers to our prayers. Prayer may seem like a waste of time in the midst of the storm, but prayer shows our faith in God, and that faith gives us the strength we need to face the storms of life. For example, one night a couple of years ago my mother had to be rushed by ambulance to the local hospital because of a medical emergency. I followed behind the ambulance in my own car. The doctor on call diagnosed the problem as a heart attack. After he spoke to the two of us, I went home, knowing that there was nothing more I could do for her at that time. After I called the rest of the family, I got ready for bed. Before I went to sleep, I had a serious talk with the Lord. I don’t remember the exact words I used, but the prayer went something like this.

“Lord, I’m leaving the situation in your hands now. Please bless the doctors and nurses who are caring for her. If it’s your will that Mom gets better, then please heal her. If it’s your will that she not survive, please don’t let her suffer. If her condition gets to the point where I have to make the important decisions that Mom and I have discussed, please give me the strength, wisdom and courage to make the right decision; and please give me the strength and courage to accept the consequences of my decision-especially consequences from other family members”.

Thankfully, God answered my prayer in the way I wanted him to answer it. Medical tests the next day revealed that the doctor made the wrong diagnosis. Mom did not have a heart attack-she had blood clots in both lungs. With proper treatment, Mom slowly got better and stronger, and she was released from the hospital after one week. The unexpected way God often does things may startle us and even frighten us. We may not understand why he works in a certain way. That is why he continually tells us, “Do not be afraid. It is I”.

 

When we put our faith in Jesus, he will carry our burdens and sooth our hearts. A soft-spoken God is an appropriate companion when life is difficult. Sometimes it is only after a difficult period that we can look back at recent events and realize God was here all the time with us. It is like the story of the footprints in the sand. It goes like this.

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he asked the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.” The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you, and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you”.

Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith, even when everything is peaceful in our lives. Life comes with plenty of risks, and sometimes we have to take calculated risks to get ahead in life. People who start a business take a risk that the business will not be successful, but this risk can be managed with proper planning. When children leave their parents’ home, they take the risk that they will not be successful in life, but even this risk can be managed with proper planning. In some cities, women are at risk of being a victim of a crime such as rape, especially when walking at night, but this risk can also be managed with proper planning. In each case, risk is a part of life. It can be managed, but it can never be eliminated. Without risk, there is no reward. Our faith must be reckless, but the risks we take must not be reckless.

The same is true in our Christian life. Faith is the willingness to take risks, embrace the unseen and step away from the shore. When we put our faith in God, and keep our eyes on him, there is a risk that the world will reject us. It is better to be rejected by the world and be loved by God than to be loved by the world and rejected by God. Wherever we find ourselves today, and we hear Jesus call us, we must put our faith in action and get out of the boat, especially if we want the greater security that Jesus offers. When we step out with faith and trust Jesus, we take him at his word, put him to the test, and just do it! The result is the thrilling adventure called the Christian life.  

Faith and doubt can live in the same heart. After all, they lived in Peter’s heart, especially when he walked on the water and began to sink. That’s what happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus. So it is with us. Many times we sit on the sidelines watching someone do something, and decide to try it ourselves, just like Peter decided to walk on the water after he saw Jesus walking on water. Perhaps it looks like fun. Perhaps we think we could do it better. Perhaps we’re just looking for a challenge. And then we learn that it isn’t as easy as it looked. We feel the wind and the roughness of the waves underfoot, and wish that we had kept our comfortable seat in the boat.

Or we feel Christ’s call. It might be a call to feed the hungry. It might be a call to serve as a church officer. It might be a call to tithe. It might be a call to speak on behalf of an issue. We begin to answer the call, and then realize it is tougher than it looked. We feel the wind and the roughness of the waves, and wish we had kept our comfortable seat in the pews.

We might be safely perched in our easy chairs in front of the television, but that is not what God has created for us. He has created us to be his hands and his voice in the world-and that is seldom easy. Sometimes, when we answer Christ’s call, we will feel the wind and the roughness of the waves and be afraid. When that happens, we need to remember this story of Peter stepping out of the boat and walking toward Jesus, and the leap of faith he took. If he could do it, so can we.

 Bibliography

1.      Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV

2.      Dr. Harold Sala, “What God Most Desires”. Retrieved from www.guidelines.org

3.      Lisa Wingate, “Bad Boats”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

4.      Greg Laurie, “A Well-Timed Rescue”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

5.      Greg Laurie, “No Place for Fear”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

6.      Greg Laurie, “Just Ask for Help”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

7.      Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions: 19^th Sunday (A)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org.

8.      Charles F. Stanley, “God’s Provision”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

9.      Greg Laurie, “Muscular Faith”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

10.  Greg Laurie, “Spectacular Failure”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

11.  Jim Penner, “Time Out”. Retrieved from www.hourofppower.cc

12.  Mary Southerland, “Faith Believes in God”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

13.  Leslie Snyder, “Dancing on the Waves”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

14.  John C. Maxwell, “Stepping-Stones for Success”. Retrieved from www.hourofpower.cc

15.  Anne Graham Lotz, “A Thrilling Adventure”. Retrieved from www.angelministries.org

16.  Jon Walker, “God Uses Obedience to Develop Our Faith’. Retrieved from www.newsletter.purposedriven.com

17.  Jon Walker, “Look at Jesus, Not at the Waves”. Retrieved from www.newsletter.purposedriven.com

18.  Stan Mast, “Faith and Doubt”. Retrieved from www.backtogod.net

19.  Mary Southerland, “Step Away from the Shore”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

20.  Exegesis for Matthew 14:22-33. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

21.  Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Wordsearch Bible software package.

22.  Notes from Peter Anthony’s Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew.

23.  John Shearman’s Lectionary Resources, Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. Retrieved from http://seemslikegod.org/lectionary/aarchivess/eighth-sunday-after-pentecost-august-7-2011

24.  Dr. Lanie LeBlanc, OP, “Volume 2: 19^th Sunday (A)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

 

 

 

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 16:1-13 Prayer-God’s Natural Pain-killer

The Old Testament reading we heard from Jeremiah earlier in today’s service talks about the destruction of Judah and the pain and suffering felt by its people. The destruction was caused by the sins of the people. Jeremiah identified with the people and their pain and suffering. We as Christians must also identify with people and their struggles and pain, especially when they sin. That doesn’t mean that we join them if they sin. For example, we can pray for certain Canadian senators who cheated on their expenses, but that does not mean that we have to join them by cheating on our income taxes or our employers. We have to open our hearts to the people we serve. When we do, we show God’s love.

 

 

All of us need comfort at some point in our lives. There’s no such thing as a pain-free life. God allows pain and suffering because they draw us closer to him. Our pain creates a need for God. God is the “balm in Gilead” that Jeremiah refers to.

One of the ways we can show God’s love for people and therefore identify with them in their suffering is to pray for them. For example, in the Prayers of the People we pray for the victims of all conditions of mankind-war, sickness, poverty, death and so on. Praying in faith gives us power. How does this happen? It happens because we tap into the greatest power known to mankind-God’s power to change things.  

God wants us to be a prayerful people, but he also wants us to pray for people. When we pray for others, we are following the instructions Paul gave to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1-7. All blessings from God are conveyed through mediation from various agents, including the prayers offered by his children. The chief blessing of our salvation comes from the intercession and mediation of Jesus when we believe in him in faith. If we pray for everyone, we believe that God loves everyone and that Jesus died for everyone. In order to pray for everyone, we must enter into active relationships with them. It doesn’t matter if they are friends, enemies or total strangers. God wants everyone to be saved, and Christ gave himself as a ransom for everyone.

Jesus is the only mediator between us and God. This fulfills Old Testament prophecies. Jesus fulfilled God’s desire for all people to be saved and to know the truth of God’s love. We fulfill these same desires when we share the Gospel. Part of that process includes continually learning Biblical truths and growing closer to God. For example, every time I prepare a homily, my research helps me discover more truths about what is written in the Bible.

It was God’s grace and desire to save lost humanity which saw Jesus born in a stable in Bethlehem. It was God’s wish to bring all mankind to the knowledge of the truth which motivated Jesus during his earthly ministry. It was God’s goal to save everyone from an eternity in hell that motivated Jesus to remain silent during his trials, suffer without complaint when he was tortured, and offer words of forgiveness to those who nailed him to the cross. Jesus’ rescue mission show how God was committed to saving us, and it is a rescue mission that we have been asked to share with a lost and dying world.  

One group of people that Paul tells us to pray for is our leaders. God is responsible for the appointing of people to positions of authority. We must seek his counsel as revealed in Scripture. We must talk to God about men before we talk to men about God. We do this through prayer. We pray for our leaders so we may live in peace, quietness, godliness and dignity. This is often hard to do because of the situation our world is in today. There are wars and rumours of wars all around us. Look at the current situation in Syria for example.

When we are in fellowship with God, his love enters us and remains in us. When we show kindness to others, his love is revealed through us. Love in this sense benefits both the giver and the receiver. It allows us to become happy people. We show this love when we pray for others.  Our prayers are for our own benefit as well. Prayers from other Christians encourage us. Prayer is our expression of faith and dependence on God. When we pray, we serve Christ instead of ourselves. This goes against our carnal, selfish nature with its emphasis on self instead of on Christ. When we pray, we discern God’s will for our lives.

Whether he knew it or not, the shrewd money manager Jesus talks about in Luke 16:1-13 was faithful because he was generous to his master’s debtors. This might not make sense at first glance because the manager was being dismissed for being dishonest but by reducing the amount each debtor owed, the manager was being generous. Faithful people are generous when they don’t have anything to give.

The manager was a good example of Paul’s statement that the love of money is the root of all evil. The manager loved money so much that he charged interest on the money his boss loaned to people. Jewish law prohibited the charging of interest, but the manager was able to get around that law by increasing the amount of the debt owed. For example, if a debtor owed 50 chickens, the manager increased that amount to 100 chickens and pocketed the difference. When the manager reduced the debts, he looked good in the eyes of both the debtors and his boss. 

There are five principles in which God will test us and bless us, just like he tested and blessed the manager.

1.      God gives to generous people. When we are generous, we are like God. When the manager was generous by forgiving part of the debtors’ loans, he was being generous. He was following the part of the Lord’s Prayer where we ask God to “forgive our debts like we forgive our debtors”.

2.      Obeying God’s vision brings God’s provision. When the manager reduced the amounts of the debtors’ loans, he gained their friendship, and that friendship would be needed after the manager was dismissed. In other words, God provided for the manager’s future when the manager obeyed God’s will be reducing the debts.

3.     When we do all that God tells us to do, he does what we can’t do. When the manager obeyed God’s will by reducing the debts, the manager’s boss was pleased. God changed the heart of the manager’s boss.

4.     When we have a need in our lives, we are to sow that need as a seed, and it will come back to us. The manager needed the help of the debtors, and he planted that seed of need by reducing their debts.

5.     There is always a delay between sowing and reaping. In the case of the manager, we do not know when the people whose debts he reduced helped him, but we do know that he received praise from his boss as soon as the boss found out what happened. The delay between sowing and reaping was a test of faith, and the delay when we sow a seed of need and the time when we can reap the harvest is also a test of our faith. 

We can’t put our security in money because money is not as safe and secure as we think it is. Look at the current worldwide economic situation for example. People are losing their jobs. The prices of oil and gas are going through the roof. The world’s future is uncertain, but we can have the certainty of a sure future because we have a sure faith in God.

If we are faithful in the small things God gives us, he will trust us with bigger and better things. If we are faithful where God plants us, he will work through us. We need to be wise as we do God’s work in our world. By doing so we will be the masters of our money, time, and talents instead of letting them master us. If we use our wealth and resources to serve God, we will be welcomed into God’s kingdom.

We are never too important to help with menial tasks. In fact, God will never let us avoid menial tasks. Doing small tasks shows that we have a big heart. Big things often disguise themselves in small tasks. Integrity shows up in the stuff no one sees or the events that happen behind the scenes.

If we are faithful in the small things, God will give us more and better opportunities to serve him. This sounds like something preachers of the Prosperity Gospel would support, and I can tell you from experience that this is true. My own ministry in this parish started out by reading lessons during worship and has increased to the point where I lead worship services. I have also served the church at the Regional level by assisting with the Lay Ministry course that was put on last fall, and I also served at the Diocesan level by designing the pages of the Leap of Faith donor book. God gives us more and more trust based on how we use our God-given resources. We reap what we sow.  

Like the shrewd manager, we have to make decisions about our future, especially our eternal future. We are called upon daily to account for how we have used what we have been given, especially how what we have been given has been used for God’s service. The people of Judah were called upon to account for how they used the relationship God had with them, and they were punished by the destruction of Judah. Paul instructed Timothy on how to use his faith to relate to the people he dealt with on a daily basis, and the result was that Timothy became one of Paul’s most trusted and faithful followers. Jesus calls on us to use our God-given gifts, including prayer, to further our faith and God’s work in this world. If we are successful, we will receive the help we need to cope with life’s challenges. What is more important though is that we will receive the greatest reward God can possibly give us-eternal life with him in heaven.

 Bibliography

1.      Demarest, G.W. , & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/ Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.: 1984)

2.      Dr. Charles Stanley, “Investing in Eternity”. Retrieved from www.intouch.org

3.      Dr. Charles Stanley, “Prayer Makes a Difference”. Retrieved from www.intouch.org

4.      Charles R. Swindoll, “A Matter of Obedience”. Retrieved from www.insight.org

5.      Bayless Conley, “The Prerequisite of Prayer”. Retrieved from www.answersrbc.org

6.      Dr. Tony Evans, “What are Carnal Christians?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

7.      Rick Warren, “Jesus Paid the Price You Couldn’t Pay”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com

8.      Pastor Ken Klaus, “Heartbroken”. Retrieved from www.lhm.org.

9.      Sergei Sosedkin, “One God, One Mediator”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net.

10.  Mark D. Roberts, “The Prophet’s Pain”. Retrieved from www.TheHighCalling.org

11.  Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishing; 2009)

12.  Rebecca Barlow Jordan, “Balm in Gilead”. Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

13.  Larson, B., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)

14.  Mark D. Roberts, “Money Isn’t the Main Thing”. Retrieved from www.TheHighCalling.org

15.  Doug Fields, “Take Off the Disguise”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

16.  Dean Deppe, “Give and You Shall Receive”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

17.  Rick Warren, “Servants are Faithful in the Small Things”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com

18.  Rick Warren, “Faithful People are Generous”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com

19.  Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 23^rd Sunday, Year C”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

 

1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15 Christ, Our Sure Foundation

How many of you remember the story of the three little pigs? The three little pigs left their mother to build their own houses. The first little pig built his house of straw. The second little pig built his house of sticks. The third little pig built his house of brick. Soon the Big Bad Wolf came to visit the three little pigs. When the little pig in the straw house would not let him in, the Big Bad Wolf huffed and puffed until he blew the house down. The same thing happened with the little pig who built his house of wood. When the Big Bad Wolf came to the little pig in the house of brick, he huffed and puffed, but he could not blow the house down.

The apostle Paul exhorts us to build our lives on a solid foundation-Jesus Christ. We build on a foundation that others have laid. We have to carefully build on that foundation. Those who help us might not have the same skills. They might not have the stable, strong faith that we have. We must build our faith wisely and carefully so that we can minimize the flaws of our co-workers and maximize their strengths. Not everyone is ready to receive the Good News at the same point in time. Perhaps God has only called on us to plant a seed in a person’s life or water a seed that someone else has planted. God will make the seed grow in his own time and in his own way. He will be the foundation of their lives, just like he is the foundation of our lives. That firm foundation will withstand the tests that life will send our way.  

Paul gave the Corinthians spiritual milk, also known as an introduction to faith and spiritual life. He gave them spiritual milk because they were not ready for solid spiritual food, just like babies have to be fed milk before they can eat solid food. The carnal, earthly nature of the Corinthians was their guide. They should have been guided by the Holy Spirit, but their minds were occupied by earthly thoughts and their emotions were plagued by negative thoughts. Carnal people are not operating in the manner God created then to operate.

God created us to operate as spiritual beings so that we could do his work in our world. He created us as spiritual beings so that we can spread the Good News of the Gospel. We must not let the world’s carnal nature influence us or stop us from doing what God wants us to do. In order for us to do God’s work, we must grow spiritually. God wants us to increase in faith to the point where we can teach others, just like I am teaching all of you through this message. He wants us to grow and persevere. God can use all of us.

Each and every one of us faces the temptation of setting up our own egos as idols for others to dance around. We face the temptation to put ourselves in the spotlight and ask others to applaud. We are tempted to praise so that we will get praise in return. We are tempted to love to get love in return. We are tempted to serve to be served. We are tempted to believe that our own needs excuse our behaviour.

When God lives in us, we have a friend who will be with us in any situation. When God lives in us, we have an internal guide and an internal comforter. When God lives in us, we are never alone, and neither are those we love and serve.

We do not work for God to earn our salvation. God gives it to us for free if we accept Christ as our saviour by faith. We work for God because we are grateful for what God have given us. God uses us to reach people, but God is the one who saves them. God prepares a person’s heart to hear and receive the Gospel. He uses us, but he does the work of salvation.  

So how can we make the Good News known to other people? There are four steps.

1.      We need to stop worrying about what other people think of us. We only have to worry about what God thinks of us, and make certain our lives are pleasing and honouring him in all we do.

2.      We need to develop the mind of Christ, which we uniquely possess as his followers.

       3.      We need to believe that God intends to use our words and deed to bring others to a saving  knowledge of Jesus.

4.      We must engage people in conversations designed to lead them away from their worldly lives and help them see that their way of life is robbing them of full and abundant lives.

Even though we are under the saving grace of God, what we do in our lives still matters. The choices we make now will affect our eternal destiny. If we want to spend eternity with Jesus, we must spend every moment of our lives doing God’s work in our world. We need to cultivate a passion for God’s Word and cool our passion for the things of the world. We do this within the characteristics of faith, love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and kindness. We also do this by living purposefully, pursuing excellence and working with all our hearts in the name of Jesus and for his glory.

Because God loves variety, and he wants us to be special, there’s no one single gift given to everyone, and no individual receives all the gifts. If we had them all, we would not need anyone else, and God wants to teach us to depend on each other. Our spiritual gifts are to be used for the benefit of others, just like the gifts of other people are for our benefit. When we use our gifts together, all of us benefit. If others don’t use their gifts, we are cheated. If we don’t use our gifts, others are cheated. Christ’s saving grace changes us. Sins are wiped away. We will build on his foundation with good works when we rely on God’s strengths and wisdom. They help us establish his kingdom by influencing and involving people. Our roles are suited to how he has gifted us. We have to change our lives to reflect His priorities. Reaching out and serving other people in Jesus’ name does more for our spiritual growth than anything else.

On Judgment Day, God will judge us on what we have done on earth. He will judge us based on how well we build upon the foundation laid by Jesus. We will be judged on how well we brought the Holy Spirit to the world.  We will be judged on how well we opened the eyes of the world to Jesus. The good that he has done through us will be our reward. Anything that is worthless will be burned away.

Bibliography

1.      Michael E. Brooks, “Spiritual Contractors”. Retrieved from www.forthright.net

2.      Dr. Neil Anderson, “The Fleshly Person”. Retrieved from Neil_Andersons_Daily_in_Christ@crosswalkmail.com

3.      Mike Benson, “Hard”. Retrieved from www.forthright.net

4.      T.M. Moore, “Building on the Work of Jesus”. Retrieved from www.colsoncenter.org

5.      Greg Laurie, “It’s God’s Work”. Retrieved www.harvest.org

6.      Greg Laurie, “Service Award”. Retrieved from www.harvest.org

7.      Kevin Adams, “Self-Seeking-or Not”. Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

8.      Dr. David Jeremiah, “An Eternal Foundation”. Retrieved from www.davidjeremiah.org

9.      Pastor John Barnett, “Don’t Waste Your Life?” Retrieved from www.dtbm.org

10.  James MacDonald, “Blind”. Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

11.  Pastor John Barnett, “They Don’t See Christ”. Retrieved from www.dtbm.org

12.  Jim Liebelt, “Build It Right”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

13.  T.M. Moore, “Reason Beyond Reasons”. Retrieved from www.colsoncenter.org

14.  Rick Warren, “Your Gifts are For Helping the Entire Church”. Retrieved from www.purposedriven.com

15.  Dr. J. Howard Olds, “Work”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

16.  King Duncan, “We Are God’s Temple”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

17.  Timothy Smith, “Grow Up!” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

18.  King Duncan, “You are God’s Temple”. Retrieved from www esermons.com

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Matthew 14:13-21 Parable of the Loaves and Fish, Revised

Imagine for a moment that you're part of the crowd in the story of the miracle of the loaves and fish. You've been listening intently to Jesus' words all day. You've traveled a long distance. It's been a long day, you're tired and hungry, and you realize that you didn't bring anything to eat. You have heard Jesus tell his disciples to find food for the people. To make matters worse, you realize that the only food available to feed the people is five small loaves of bread and two small fish. You see Jesus take the food, bless it and give it to the crowd. After the meal, you see the disciples gather up the broken, leftover pieces---enough to fill twelve baskets.

God the teacher feeds our minds. He teaches us not only through His Word, but also through the priest, the celebrant, the organist and choir, the lesson readers-in fact, He teaches through EVERYONE who does his work in the church family. His teaching materials (teachings, laws, etc.) are never used up. In fact, they are multiplied because those of us who are taught by Him can go out and teach others. By doing so, we do our part to fulfill the Lord's Great Commission, namely "Go forth into the world and make disciples of all nations".

God also doesn't care what we offer to Him, as He can use anything and everything we offer to Him in faith. Most people today give in the form of money, but that wasn't always so. Some of you might have heard stories about how in past years ministers were paid in the form of livestock, fruit or vegetables. A few years ago I read a story written by a minister in the United States about his experiences in a church in a Third World country. He wrote that on one particular Sunday the congregation arrived at the church and was greeted by three turkeys and a pig that were tied up outside the door. The previous week's sermon had been about tithing-giving one-tenth of your income to the church. The three turkeys and one pig represented one-tenth of the income of the farmer who gave them, but he gave them in faith because he knew that God's mission required resources to get it done.

In order for God to feed the crowd spiritually, He needed to feed them physically, for without the resource called physical food, the people could not receive the spiritual food. The same idea applies to the Holy Eucharist, for it is through the physical food of the bread and wine that we receive the spiritual food Christ offers, just like the disciples did at the last Supper.

God accepts us for who we are, and in doing so accepts whatever we offer to Him in faith and thanksgiving. Our offering can be big or small. God doesn't care how much we offer, because He uses whatever we offer to do His work in our world and in our daily lives.

When God accepts our individual offerings, he blesses them and combines them with the offerings of fellow believers. He uses this combination to bless and multiply what He gives to his people in return. This is like the parable of the mustard seed-God takes something very small like our individual offerings, and makes it grow into something bigger and better-namely, faith in Him. The loaves and fish represent more than just physical food-they also represent the spiritual food and nourishment God offers us.

God is all-seeing, all knowing, and His love knows no limits. He shows his love by offering spiritual nourishment to His people. The spiritual nourishment is so vast that we can't absorb it all at once. There are always leftovers, just like there were leftovers that were gathered up in baskets by the disciples. Just like we need to eat physical food several times a day to live physically, we need to keep partaking of the spiritual nourishment in order for our faith to live. Our human inability to absorb every single item we are taught forces God to keep reminding us about His love and power, just as our human ability to ignore what He has to teach us forces Him to keep reminding us.

The sharing of the loaves and fishes also represents God sharing His wisdom and love with his children. The leftover food reminds us that God's love and wisdom overflow our mind and soul, as well as our capacity to absorb what He offers to us. Whatever overflows can still be absorbed by us, as long as we continue to seek His spiritual nourishment.

God doesn't offer spiritual food without requiring something from us in return. When He feeds us, He also asks us to nourish, teach, rule and lead others. He asks us to feed the multitudes by offering what we can. As we distribute the spiritual food, it increases and fills the soul, much like the physical food of the loaves and fishes increased and fed the crowds who gathered to hear Jesus. There is an interesting parallel here involving the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist is a physical representation of the distribution of the spiritual food God offers us. Just like the crowd received the physical food of the loaves and fishes in thanksgiving, we receive the food of bread and wine in thanksgiving for the spiritual food of our Lord's most precious body and blood when we come to Him in faith.

God always likes to know that we have faith in Him. When we don't show this faith openly, He asks us to prove that we have faith. That is why Jesus asked the disciples where they could find food for the crowd. He could have simply made manna rain down from heaven like He did for the Israelites after Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt, but He didn't. He knew that even the disciples couldn't understand everything He had taught both them and the crowd, but their understanding was caused not by ignorance, but by lack of faith. After all, they had been by His side for a long time and had heard His teachings and seen His miracles, whereas the crowd gathered to see Him that one time, much as we would gather to see a famous musician who might come to perform in a major city only once or twice in his entire career. The small amount of loaves and fish that was offered to Jesus in faith led to a bountiful harvest for the multitudes. Even a small amount of faith in Jesus leads to a bountiful harvest of spiritual food and blessings for His people. Jesus used the request for food to prove the old saying that "big things come in small packages".

In John 6:27, Jesus tells us to "Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the father, even God, hath sealed". What this tells us is that spiritual food is much more important than physical food. Spiritual food is necessary for the survival of our spiritual life, just like physical food is important for the survival of physical life. Spiritual food allows us to understand what God has in store for us, what He wants us to do in our lives, and what is in store for us in our heavenly home. God wants to give us this food because He loves us. All we have to do is come before Him in humility and faith.

Spiritual food is not limited to the Holy Eucharist and God's teachings. Weekly church services fill the void, especially at times where the Eucharist is not celebrated. We can't to come to church only a handful of times in our lives and expect that the small amount of spiritual food we receive at those times will sustain us forever. Just like we have to eat physical food several times a day in order to live, we need to receive spiritual food on a regular basis. That is why many of us attend services every week--because we need to hear and receive the spiritual food offered by regular worship. Those who attend worship services only on special occasions such as weddings funerals, baptisms, Christmas or Easter receive a small amount of spiritual nourishment, whereas those who attend worship services regularly and worship in sincere faith receive the honour of having a seat at the Head Table of God's Holy Feast.