HD 290 Key Insights from Bible Study Podcast

Day 290 of Heart Dive 365. I'm your Bible study friend, Kanoe. Welcome to the Heart Dive podcast. Well, today we come to the abrupt ending of John the Baptist's life, and we continue to see the workings of Jesus drawing nearer to His crucifixion. Before we get into God's Word today, if you could please help us out, if you're part of the Heart Dive family, by hitting the thumbs up button, that's your roll call button. And if you're new to this Bible study, please let us know in the comments where you are, where you're watching from, how you found us. And please make sure to check out the show notes or the description box or head to our website, heartdive.org. There's a lot of information for you there about this Bible study. And I think a lot of the questions that you might have can probably be answered there. We have a frequently asked questions section. And I assure you, if you have the question in mind, somebody else probably already asked it. Make sure to check that out, but don't hesitate to ask questions in the comment section. We don't want that to hold you back by any means. We've got a wonderful family here, brothers and sisters who are willing to help out. So thank you for those of you who do go into the comment section and answer anybody's questions. We are grateful for you. We are doing this together. We are one heart, one mind, one church, one purpose. So keep that in mind always, because we are doing this life together to be able to spread the gospel, spread the good news, get people into God's Word. So we're going to go ahead and do that. We're going to jump on in. But before we do, as we always do, we're going to go ahead and pray to prepare our hearts and invite God into this space that we're in. So Heavenly Father, we honor you. We love you. We glorify you and give you all the praise. We thank you so much for being here with us. Holy Spirit, thank you for allowing us to open up the daily bread, our daily manna, and receive the nourishment and the feeding that we need. Lord, you always give to us exactly what we need, but you also give more. You are that kind of God who gives exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever ask for, think, or imagine. And so we're just grateful for that. I pray that we'll be open to it. Sometimes we miss the overflow because we're too focused on something else. We're too caught in the weeds or the thorns of distraction. You're like, over here, guys, we're doing this. And yet we're trying to focus on something else that we think is a problem. And so I just pray that you will... Draw our eyes to you, Jesus. Help us to hear your voice today, especially through this reading. I pray that you'll minister to us so personally, Lord. Even in the words that I don't speak, Holy Spirit, I know that you will. And so let it not be me, my words, God, but yours so that you can be seen. I don't ever wanna draw any glory away from you. It's all about you and we wanna bring it back to you. And so please forgive us now for our sins. I pray that you'll. purify our hearts, cleanse out any gunk that might be in there. Show us, Lord, where we may not be aware, where we might be falling short, where we might be doing too much, where we might not be doing enough. So whether it is the sin of commission or omission, Lord, we want to know about it so that we can make it right. Help us to forgive others. Please don't lead us into temptation. but delivers from evil. For yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever in Jesus name. Amen. Alrighty, buckle up. There is a lot to cover today. We are starting off in Matthew chapter 14, reading from the ESV by Crossway Translation, starting off here in verse one. At that time, Herod the Tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus and he said to his servants, this is John the Baptist. Okay, wait, what is going on here? Well, first of all, let's stop on who Herod the Tetrarch is. This is Herod. Antipas, who was actually Herod the Great's son. So, Herod the Great was the ruler whenever Jesus was born. Remember, he's the one who went and had all of the children under two years old killed. So, notice that he does not have the name King. He was actually denied that title. And so, he is a ruler over a certain region. That's what a tetrarch is. A tetrarch would usually be someone who ruled over four districts. That's where we get the tetra from. So, Herod the Tetrarch was one of three of those rulers in this region, and he did rule over Galilee. And he thinks it's John the Baptist. Why? Well, it could be because they had similar physical features. I mean, they are cousins after all. Or, I think it might be a little bit of both. He has his own guilty conscience that is weighing on him. And so, he thinks that John the Baptist has come back to haunt him because we're finding out now that he... killed John the Baptist. So, we continue here in verse 2, He has been raised from the dead, he said. That is why these miraculous powers are at work within him. For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him into prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been saying to him, it is not lawful for you to have her. So, remember when we discussed this before, Herodias is actually his niece, and she is married to his brother Philip. Philip, so he seduces his niece and half-sister and ends up marrying her. John the Baptist had good reason to rebuke him for this marriage. It was not lawful for him to take her as his wife. For several reasons. And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people because they held him to be a prophet. So the people respected John the Baptist. And I think that Herod probably did too. But the bigger thing here is that he did fear man. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Now, you got to imagine this was a birthday party. There was probably a whole lot of wine flowing. And I imagine that this dancing that his daughter did was not a sweet little jazz dance. I mean, it was probably some sort of immoral dance prompted by her mother. She said, give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter, because the mother is dealing with her own guilty conscience as well. And the king was sorry, but... That's a not a good but. Because of his oaths and his guests, he commanded it to be given. So he was sorry because again, like I said, he probably respected John the Baptist, didn't want to kill him. Because of the oath that he had made to his wife and daughter, and to save face in front of his guests, he was going to do it. Verse 10, so he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother, and his disciples came and took the body and buried it. and they went and they told Jesus. Best thing that you can ever do if you're in any sort of distressing situation is go and tell Jesus. Go and talk to him about it. And clearly we see that the disciples are getting his body so that they can give him a proper burial. They're honoring him. Verse 13. Now, when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. So he is probably going to mourn his cousin, to grieve his death. He wants to do it by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. And when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, and he healed their sick. So here we see the humanity of Jesus, because he's withdrawing to that quiet place to be able to grieve John's death. And he was also seeking solitude, probably to be with his father. But instead, he's met with a crowd of people. who were probably wanting something from him, of course, right? Like they want to be healed. So if you have ever been in a place where you feel like you've been giving and giving, and it never feels like enough, because the more that you give, the more people want from you, and you might know how it feels to just be depleted, and maybe even a little bit burdened or annoyed, because those demands just feel like they're piling up and you can't meet them. But not Jesus. You know, whenever he saw the crowds, he had so much compassion. Because that's simply who he is. He sees a need and he's going to meet it again and again without growing weary. So heart check. How much compassion do you have? Do you see the mounting needs as a burden or an opportunity to do something to meet those needs? Verse 15, now, when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, this is a desolate place and the day is now over. Send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves. So, the disciples, they think they're doing something good here. You know, they're like, hey, Lord, we can't really feed them. It's dinnertime. They're probably hungry. So, we probably should send them out to go have a sandwich or something. But Jesus said in verse 16, they need not go away. There's that compassion again. You give them something to eat. Oh boy. So Jesus is like, y'all see that they're hungry, feed them. You see a need, meet it. That isn't convicting, right? And they said to him, we have only five loaves here and two fish. And why is that? Well, remember they travel light and they're traveling with Jesus. So they're probably expecting that he's going to meet their needs. He's going to provide. And he said, bring them here to me because he's about to feed them with the bread of life. Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and he said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And don't you just love how Jesus took what seemed so insufficient and he made it into something great. And I think a lot of us stop short of what God wants us to do because we limit ourselves by thinking, oh man, my gift is too small. ah, what I have to offer, it's too insignificant. Or perhaps we've listened to the lies of others who tell us that we're not good enough, right? I mean, we think that we don't have what it takes, or we don't have all the resources to be able to fulfill that dream or that vision that God has given us. But if we are faithful in the little things, we will be faithful in much. So if we take that little tiny gift and that little ability that God has given to us, and we actually place it back into His hands, He will bless it. He will then multiply it. And then guess what he's going to do? He's not going to do something about it. He's going to hand it back to us to then go and fulfill that vision that he's given to us. So heart check. In what ways can you trust God to use what you have in your hands? Have you handed it over to Him? Are you trusting Him to provide what is needed to fulfill the vision that He has given to you? So remember when I was saying, like, I started this Bible study with an iPhone and my Bible. That's it. I didn't have any special lighting. I just opened up my windows and prayed for good light. We did Bible study on the beach. We did Bible study in my sister's kitchen. We did Bible study on the airplane. I mean, I was doing it all over the place. I was faithful in the small thing, and look what God has done. We didn't need anything fancy, you know, to start it off, but look how He's providing at the same time to grow it into something greater. People are hungry out there, you know? They need the Word of God. They want something. We are basing our entire Heart Dive 365 around this passage here, feeding the people who are hungry with His Word. And we're excited about it. Holly and I were like going back and forth today with all these ideas because we see how he's taking this and he is multiplying it for his glory. And it's just so exciting. So we continue in verse 20, and they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up those 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about 5,000 men besides women and children. So this probably means there were somewhere around 10 to 20,000 people. that he actually fed with the five loaves and the two fish. And one detail that I don't want to miss here is that between him taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up and blessing his father, thanking him for it, you know, blessing the food, there was a breaking before he could give it out. And that is the case with us. You know, when we bring our gifts, when we say, I want to serve you, Lord, I want to follow you, Lord, I want to do all the things. He's like, great, but I'm gonna have to break you first. There's some things that are going to be a little bit painful for me to remove. You're going to have to turn away from something. So you might need to break your back a little bit, you know, to turn away from that thing that you keep going back to. And if we allow Him to do that, if we allow that breaking to happen, He can do a whole lot. Like the little that we have can go a very long way. When I look at some of the most powerful testimonies and the most powerful ministers, I know that there was a breaking that happened within them. That's what needs to happen before we can then go out and do a great work. Verse 22, immediately, He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side while He dismissed the crowds. So, even though Jesus loved the crowds and He had compassion on them and He wanted to help them, He wasn't about the crowds, you know? He wasn't about the fame. He wasn't about the hoopla. He knew when it was time for them to go home. Like, He was going to feed them. He's like, listen, you all need to go now. You need to... go get some rest. I need you to go back to your families. I need you to go do the thing, like live your life. Verse 23, And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. This was very important to him, and it should be very important to us as well, that we are getting away with the Father in quiet time for prayer and devotion. And when evening came, he was there alone. But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, so somewhere between 3 and 6 a.m., he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It's a ghost! And they cried out in fear. Because in this day, seeing some sort of apparition would have either meant there was some sort of doom that is impending, or it meant death was to come. Um... But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. And Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. Now, this is not Peter trying to test him. This is Peter saying, Lord, I know it's you. Please call me out of the boat because I want to come near you. That is some big faith right there. He said, come. And Peter got out of the boat and he walked on the water and he came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink. he cried out, Lord, save me. And Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when he got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, truly, you are the Son of God. Now, it is really easy for us to get stuck on the O ye of little faith part. But let's give Peter a little bit of credit here. You know, it did take some big faith to step out of that boat and walk on water. I mean, that's a big miracle in itself. But notice when his faith diminished. It was whenever he took his eyes off of Jesus and began looking around at the wind. He had more faith in the ability of that wind than the one who makes the wind blow. In other words, he had more faith in the storm than in the Savior. But let's not forget, a little bit of faith is still faith, right? And Jesus still honors that as small as it is. So heart check. Have you stepped out of the boat? Are there any storms or winds that are taking your eyes off of Jesus? How can you remain focused on Him when challenges arise? So faltering, which Peter did a whole lot of, is not failing. This is why I love Peter. I feel like I'm a lot like Peter. I feel like I screw things up all the time, but it's never a failure. And I've realized that now, like Jesus is going to pick you back up. And I feel like he says it lovingly, like, oh, you of little faith, why are you doubting? But in the end, we know that this was a perfecting storm. You know, this was the type of storm that likely strengthened the faith of the disciples. There are correcting storms, like the one we saw that Jonah was sent into, you know, he was going the wrong way. So, the Lord had to send a storm to be able to send him back in the other direction. But this one is a perfecting storm because really our faith cannot be strengthened without that testing. Remember, we keep talking about it. And lastly, in verse 33, when it says, truly you are the Son of God, this is in the book of Matthew, the first acknowledgement of Jesus as the Son of God by the disciples. Verse 34, and when they had crossed over, they came to the land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick. and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. And they were made well, not because of the garment itself. The garment didn't have any supernatural powers. It was their faith that brought them to Jesus to reach out to him, to trust that in just getting near him and touching the fringe of his garment would make them well, that his power then went out to them. Remember, he didn't have to physically touch anybody to be able to heal them. He could just speak a word, he could be in the next town over, or he could lay hands on people. But we always saw that it was the faith of the people through which Jesus worked. It wasn't their faith that technically healed them. He healed them, but he worked through their faith. So faith is a big deal. It matters. All right, let's move on over to Mark chapter 6. And we'll be seeing a lot of crossing over of the same stories through the three chapters that we are reading today. as well as some that we have read previously. So, if we don't go so deep into a chapter and you've never heard it before, like if you're new here, just joining us for the first time, we may have covered these stories in previous videos where I go deeper into commentary in some of them. So, we start off here in chapter 6, verse 1. He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, Where did this man get these things? What is this wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joseph, and Judas, and Simon? And are not his brothers here with us? And they took offense at him. So these are not compliments for them to call him a carpenter, to call him the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. They're like, this is the dude next door. How can he have all of this wisdom? And I always find it so interesting, you know, that... People, whenever they see an amazing gift in a person, feel the need to tear them down. It just baffles my brain. Or you see someone in a position and somehow you feel like you're the judge of them. They shouldn't be there, so I'm going to try to make them feel bad about it. Why do we do that? But if you are in that position where people are doing that to you, I just say, you know what? You don't need to be honored to be able to use greatly by God. There are plenty of people who... dishonor me, you know, and who do sling the mud. But I have learned over time to be able to just dust that stuff off and move on because I know my place. I know my authority. I know what God has called me to do. I will take correction where necessary, but if it is unnecessary gunk that's being thrown at me, petty delete, right? Out the window and moving on. So, their pride and their unbelief is actually going to hinder them in the end. Verse 4, And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own household. And he could do no mighty work there, except that he had laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. So, remember when I said before, there are only two places in the Bible where Jesus marvels. The first one was at the belief, the amazing belief of the Roman centurion, and now he is marveling at the people's unbelief. Like, He's in this place of like, I don't. I don't understand. I don't know what more you need me to do to show you how much I love people and love you guys and that I am the Son of God, you know? Like, how many more prophecies need to be fulfilled? How many more miracles do you need to see? And so, when people would reject him, it broke his heart. I mean, it's not like he was like, bye, Felicia. You know, he wasn't like that. Like, it really hurt his heart because he knew where they were destined. And he didn't want that for anybody. But we continue. And he went about among the villages teaching. He didn't allow that to deter him from the work he knew he needed to do. Verse 7, And he called the twelve and began to send them out, two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. Now, since the beginning of time, the Lord has been working in pairs. I mean, since the moment he created Adam, when he said, it is not good for man to be alone, you know, so he gave him Eve. And that was the case with almost every leader in the Bible. He would put a partner next to them. And this is because working with another person, it can help strengthen you. It can encourage you. You know, those people can comfort you in times of rejection. They can help sharpen or affirm your discernment. And they can stir up your spirit if you start to feel a little bit weary or apathetic or maybe even a bit idle, right? And God loves to work through teams of people. So if you are resistant to that and trying to do life alone, you might want to rethink it and begin. praying for your other half in every area of your life. I've got my husband. He's my partner in life. I've got Holly now, who's my partner in ministry. I could not do this without her. On the daily, I am messaging her, Holly, I need your help. Holly, what do you think about this? Holly, where do we go from here? Holly, look what I read. Oh my gosh, Holly, you are amazing. It's like we're constantly going back and forth and sharpening one another, encouraging one another, helping one another, affirming one another. Everybody needs people like that. And if you start to look around, you'll start to see it, how God uses twos and twos and twos. You'll start to kind of have an eye for that because that's the way that He works. So, heart check, are you doing life two by two? Are you closed off to it? Do you need to pray for your partner in a specific area of your life? Verse 8, He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals. and not put on two tunics. So like, again, keep it simple. You know, you don't need all the fluff to be able to do my work because all that other stuff just might be a distraction that gets in the way of the message. Verse 10, and he said to them, whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them. So they went out and they proclaimed that people should repent. So, they did the work. You know, this is the most important part. Jesus can tell us what to do. We can talk about what we're going to do. We can dream about what we're going to do, but until we do it, we're not going to be effective. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. This is one of the first times, I think, that we are seeing them actually anointing with oil. And this, I believe, is the only place that we see in the Gospels people practicing this. anointing with oil. We know James will later speak on it. Verse 14, King Herod heard of it, for Jesus's name had become known. So, thankfully, we see that Jesus was glorified through all of this, not the disciples, not John the Baptist, it was Jesus. And some said, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. Close second there, JTB. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him. So, some of those people, I guess, didn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They think, John the Baptist is coming back from the dead. But others said, nah, he's Elijah. And others said, he's a prophet, like one of the prophets of old. But when Herod heard of it, he said, John, whom I beheaded, has been raised. For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. So he had that guilty conscience. For John had been saying to Herod, it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death, but she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. So remember when I was saying he respected John, there that is affirmed. And when he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. Verse 21, but an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias'daughter came in and danced, She pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, ask me whatever you wish, and I will give it to you. And he vowed to her, whatever you ask me, I will give you up to half my kingdom. So this was a great amount that she could ask for. By saying up to half my kingdom, it was basically saying, I'll give you almost anything within limits, kind of the same way that King Xerxes told Esther that he would do the same. And she went out and said to her mother, for what should I ask? And she said, the head of John the Baptist. And she came in and immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Verse 30, and the apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. So, here we kind of see the accountability of the disciples to Jesus. And he said to them, come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. So, there Jesus seeing the need for his disciples to get rest, stressing the importance of rest for all of us. You know, whenever we work, we need rest physically. spiritually, mentally. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. And when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, which he knows that sheep without a shepherd would be in grave danger. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, this is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. But he answered them, you give them something to eat. And they said to him, well, shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat? So denarii or denarii, I don't know how you say that. That is 200 denarius. A denarius was basically... one day's worth of work. It was a silver coin. That's typically what they would pay a laborer. So he's saying, should we go and buy 200 days worth of wages for a bread? So say, you know, today, if you make like $300 a day, that would be $6,000 worth of bread. That's a lot that they were offering to go get. And it makes sense. I mean, they were looking to feed, what, 10 to 20,000 people. And he said to them, how many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they had found out, they said, five and two fish. And then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. That's a new detail that we're seeing that they're actually sat down in groups. Why did he do that? Well, because he's a God of order and that's how he did things. May have been easier to distribute the bread, may have been easier to count how many people were there. So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties and taking the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven, said a blessing, broke the loaves. gave them to the disciples to set before the people, and he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate, and they were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish, they had leftovers, and those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. Now, any time Jesus fed the people, he brought a feast, you know? He gave them enough food for their own satisfaction and also leftovers, but notice something, He didn't spoon feed them. He handed the food over to the disciples, and the disciples set the food before the people, which means the people had to feed themselves. Now, we can go to church and we can be spoon fed the Word, but where the full satisfaction occurs is when we pick up the Word for ourselves and we begin to chew on it, we begin to meditate on it, we pray over it. And I mean, at the end of the day, we all have the same amount of provision that is set before us. It really is up to us if we are going to pick it up and feed on it. I mean, if you ever wonder why, you know, one person gets more revelation out of the word than the other, well, perhaps it's just because they are making the greater effort to feed themselves. So, heart check. Are you filling up and satisfied with God's word? How much is being spoon-fed versus self-fed? And you know, when we start off, we need to be spoon-fed. We're like infants. We're like children, you know, who are drinking spiritual milk, and that's not a bad thing. But eventually, we are going to have to pick up a fork like a toddler and start picking up some peas on our own, you know, and then eventually you get the silver spoon and fork where you can stab the meat, stick it in your mouth, chew it up because you got your adult teeth. So, it's the same concept, and Paul will talk about this later on in the Bible too. There is an importance in self- feeding. Verse 45, immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea, They thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their heart were hardened. I remember when we were saying that the book of Mark was probably highly influenced by Peter. Notice that this book does not talk about Peter walking on the water, and it could have been because Peter didn't want to bring attention to himself in this story, which I thought was pretty interesting. And I don't know about you guys, but I really have grown to see Jesus in a different light, especially because of the way that we are, you know, like, we are created in the image of God. I really believe that God has a sense of humor. And so when I read this, I almost wonder, like, when he thought, I'm going to walk on the water and appear as a ghost, like, was he kind of chuckling underneath his breath, you know, like any good friend would do? Not intending to scare them, but, you know, I mean, doing so in a loving way. I don't know. We all have this image of who God is and who Jesus was. I mean, even the way that he's a carpenter, you know, we always see pictures of Jesus like emaciated on the cross. But I'm like, I really think he was a lot more buff than we think. Like he was a carpenter. He was doing some heavy duty working in his day. I mean, he straight up pulled Peter out of the water with one hand, you know? I mean, at least that's what it sounds like to me. So I don't know. How do you envision Jesus? Don't think he's as stuffy as we have learned him to be. But that's just me. Verse 53. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. Now, I know when you read these stories, they sort of start to become common to you. Like, yep, there's another miracle. Yep. Jesus did that. I mean, if you really think about it, none of this was normal stuff. If this happened today, even we would be like, what in the world is going on? So we've got to remember that, you know, we don't ever want this to become such common knowledge that we forget the miraculous power that it took for Jesus to do these things. It is only by his power that any of this could have happened. So now we jump over to Luke chapter nine, verse one, and he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons. and to cure diseases. And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. So, whenever Jesus calls us to something, he will also equip us with the power and the authority to do it. So, he's asking them to go out to heal, to preach, to cast out demons. Verse 3, and he said to them, take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. So Jesus didn't want them only meeting the spiritual needs through preaching. He actually wanted them meeting the physical needs as well. That was something else I texted Holly. I'm like, Holly, Jesus called the people to meet both spiritual and physical. How can we meet the physical needs of people as well? And so then we started brainstorming all these things. So Again, I'm excited for what God is doing. Verse 7, Now Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, John, I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him. Now on their return, the apostles told him all that they had done. Because again, he is more interested in what we get done. than what we're dreaming about or saying we're going to do. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away and the 12 came and said to him, send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions for we are here in a desolate place. So they are in a wilderness with Jesus, but he said to them, you give them something to eat. And they said, we have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go and buy food for all these people. For there were about 5,000 men. And he said to the disciples, have them sit down in groups, about 50 each. And they did so and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven, said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, 12 baskets and broken pieces, because he never lets anything go to waste. He'll even use our crumbs. Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him and he asked them, who do the crowds say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah. And others that one of the prophets of old is risen. And then he said to them, but who do you say that I am? And Peter answered, the Christ of God. And the reason why the people think that he's John the Baptist or Elijah or any one of the old prophets is because that's what they're looking for to fulfill this role of the Messiah. They wanted a political reformer. which both Elijah and John the Baptist did kind of rise up against the rulers in their day. So that's why they thought that they fit the mold. But at least Peter here and the disciples recognize that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Christ of God, the promised Redeemer. Verse 21, And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. Now, imagine being the disciples. You're walking with Jesus who is healing people. He's doing miracles. He's casting out demons. And then there's this plot twist of what? You're going to be rejected and killed and you're going to have to suffer? Well, keep on reading verse 23. And he said to all, If anyone would come up after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. So, Jesus basically told the disciples, okay, so you know how I just said that I was going to have to suffer and be rejected and be killed? Well, guess what? So will you. He uses this illustration of taking up their cross because no one in their right mind would voluntarily pick up a cross because crosses were put on the backs of Roman prisoners right before they walked to their death, to their execution. I mean, this was a one-way ticket and there was no way out. And as gloomy It truly is the only way that we will ever find life. We have to first walk to our death with Christ. Hear me out on this. You've got to die to your selfishness. You've got to die to your sinful desires. You've got to even potentially die to a life of comfort and security. But the return on that death is eternal life and glory. The reward in heaven pales in comparison to what it will cost us here on earth. So, heart check. What does self-denial look like in your daily walk? What might need to be lost in order for you to find true life? And it is said that people who do end up living this life are the most genuinely happy people. Because whenever you live this way, you live a selfless life, you live an others-centered life, and you will find that when you do that, that that is what brings true joy. Verse 25, for what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God. Now, this verse has baffled a lot of scholars. Some of them say they believe that he was speaking of the transfiguration, which we're going to read about. here in a moment, because obviously the disciples die before Jesus returns again, right? So, if he's saying that they're not going to taste death, then perhaps it means Peter, James, and John and being able to see his glory and the kingdom of God in the transfiguration. So, we read about that now here in verse 28, which transfiguration literally means change of appearance. Now, about eight days after these sayings, he took with him Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. So, imagine, I don't know if you've ever seen a real brilliant diamond under one of those lights, those warm lights, and it's like this most radiant, brilliant thing you've ever seen. It is the most beautiful thing. I remember when I was a... hostess at a really nice hotel. And these women who had just gotten married would come up and they would put their hands on my hostess desk. And I was just like, like, it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I imagine that that is what it was like. Verse 30. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah. Isn't that cool? Like now we see Moses in the promised land who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure. This word might read death in your translation, but it is the Greek word. Exodus, which is where we get Exodus. That's why ESV says departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. This is another one of those, oh, Peter moments, because I don't know if Peter is referring to like the Feast of the Tabernacles, you know, where they would put their tents up or whatever, but obviously he is placing Moses and Elijah on the same plane as Jesus. But either way, he's wanting to just revel in this moment, keep Moses and Elijah there. Like he doesn't want them to go. He doesn't want this moment to end. So he's like, let's pitch a tent. Let's just stay here on the mountaintop. But Not knowing what he had said, verse 34, as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my son, my chosen one, listen to him. So, this is the second endorsement of the father audibly about his son. And he's telling these guys, I need you guys to focus on him, focus on Jesus, not everybody else. And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone, and they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. Verse 37, And on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth and shatters him and will hardly leave him. And I begged her disciples to cast it out, but they couldn't. And Jesus answered, oh, faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Now, Jesus is not saying, ugh, how long do I have to deal with this mess? He's literally saying, how long? I don't have much longer to be here. I need you guys to get it together and to do these things. Like, bring your son here, he said, verse 42. While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. So this was... the demon's final attempt on this boy. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God. And the reason why the disciples probably couldn't cast out these demons is because they may have had a lack of faith at some point. It's not that the gift and the ability was taken away, because the gifts of God are given without repentance. He's not going to take it back, but we could lose our effectiveness. with those gifts. And for them, we see later on that he says, these things can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. So, perhaps they lost their effectiveness because maybe they weren't praying and fasting. Regardless, we know that they weren't able to do it and Jesus had to come and do it. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, let these words sink into your ears. The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it. So, kind of like the parables, right? Like, now he doesn't want them to completely understand, because they might freak out, they might go telling everybody, and it's not time. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. Verse 46, now an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. I always find this so interesting. I'm like, Jesus just told you that he is going to suffer. being delivered into the hands of men. He's going to die. And you guys are trying to figure out who's the greatest among you, you know, jockeying for position. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child, put him by his side and said to them, whoever receives this child in my name receives me. And whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great. So in a roundabout way, he's basically telling them, I need you guys to just be humble. Stop trying to be so great. Stop trying to receive all of this honor and trying to get position. Be like a child. So this is like a role reversal here, right? Like he wants them to be like a child because children, they have no social importance. Like they just want to play outside. They want to kick a ball. They want to be able to play in the dirt. And they're not threatening. Most of the time, they're not jockeying for position. They're not concerned about social status. They're not jaded. for the most part, they're pretty believing. You know, you tell them something and they're like, whoa, and they have no prejudice. This is what Jesus wants us to be like. Be like children. Be humble. Verse 49. And John answered, Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow with us. But Jesus said to him, do not stop him for the one who is not against you is for you. So he's like, listen, I don't care how it's happening. as long as it is being done in truth, which was the case here. You know, Jesus had such an open-handed way of doing ministry. He's like, guys, don't be so closed off. Just because they're not in our little group over here doesn't mean that they're not doing something good for us. So, he wants us to have a generous spirit in the same way. Verse 51, and when the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. So, now he's on a mission. He's steadfast. And he's He sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? This is why James and John got the name Sons of Thunder. But he turned and rebuked them. and they went on to another village. So, they clearly did not understand the mission at this point. And he's like, please just shake it off. Like, don't retaliate. Verse 57, as they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. A very poetic way of saying, I'm homeless, folks. I mean, he had a home, but. In his ministry, he was basically homeless. To another, he said, follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. And Jesus said to him, leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. So this guy didn't count the cost of what it would take to follow Jesus. And Jesus isn't saying you are not allowed to bury your father if you follow me. This is a matter of priorities being out of whack and the fact that true discipleship requires immediate action, not let me do all the things first before I follow you, Jesus. And yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those in my home. And Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. So he's telling them, if you guys want to follow me, you've got to commit. There's no way that you're going to be effective in plowing. or reaping if you're always looking backwards. Your eyes have got to be focused ahead of you. I mean, we really could all find reasons not to commit to Jesus, right? But when you fully decide to follow Him, it's not a half-hearted commitment anymore. It's like all in. We're doing this. I'm not looking back anymore. I'm giving it all up for the sake of the call, just the same way that He did for us. And so taking a look at some of our deep dive questions. What lessons can be learned about the way Jesus handled the news of John the Baptist's death? How does Jesus'feeding of the 5,000 strengthen your faith regarding God's provision and compassion? How closely related are faith and doubt? How does Peter illustrate this? What moment in your life made you say or believe, truly you are the Son of God? And Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was. If someone asked you who Jesus is, what would you say? Who is He to you? And how can we rely more on the authority and provision of God than our own self-sustenance and self-reliance? So, Heavenly Father, we thank You for being such a compassionate God. Even when You were grieving or tired, Jesus, You still had such a heart for people and had such a desire to meet their needs. Oh, how I pray that we will be more like this. I pray that we will see the hurting and the hungry and we will look to what we can offer them, even if it seems small or insignificant. Because we know that if we give even the smallest amount, Lord, you can bless it, you can multiply it so that it will impact thousands. We know that there is such a spiritual hunger in the world right now with people all around us not even realizing that their souls are famished. So let us be bold enough to bring them to you. We don't need to be fancy, we don't need to be knowledgeable, perfect, or even polished to send out an invitation. Even within our churches, there are so many who are missing out on the hearty meals that are only found in your daily bread. So let them come and feast on your word so that they can be transformed by the power of your truth. And God, I pray that we will have faith that is big enough to step out of the boat. Keep our eyes focused on you, for we know that after we have gone through the teaching, a test is always on the horizon. And this isn't anything to fear because you are with us and you will never leave us even in the midst of the storm. So when challenges do arise, Lord, I pray that we will not look to them as being impossible or too big for you to handle. May we always walk in faith and not fear, especially when we face opposition or rejection. We know that you will never send us out to do something that you won't provide strength and resources for. So whatever task you are placing before us today, I pray that we will pick it up. Bless you for it, allowing the breaking within us so that we can then go out and give unto others. And we thank you for those, Lord, that you have placed in our lives to be partners. I pray that we will not be resistant to it, but discerning of who you have brought into our lives for specific purposes and fully trusting that it is for our good. We may very well be the partner someone else is praying for. So Lord, I pray that our eyes will be peeled for areas that we can be of assistance. and help us also to trust in your timing. Sometimes we think that storms need to pass according to our forecast or that you need to provide a miracle right away, but you don't always work that way. The main thing is that we don't lose hope and you are our hope. So help us to remember this when we are in the middle of a storm. of the blessing and the giving right in the thick of the breaking. That is the most important step of the process for it is in the breaking that we learn to fully depend on you and every ounce of pride is wiped away. But when we come out on the other side we will see things differently and be able to relate to others with compassion whenever they go through something similar. So let us never discount what you are doing through our difficulties. We know that it is in the struggle that faith is developed and perfected. So we will continue to trust and obey, even when we can't see the evidence or the end result. And I pray that we have a true understanding of what taking up our cross means. Let us count the cost and follow you, even if it means that we must deny ourselves and sacrifice in order to do so. We know that it is only in the losing of our own life on this earth that we will find our true life and purpose. And that is what we're all seeking, whether we know it or not. I mean, even non-Christians want to know their purpose. So give us the strength to embrace what being a true disciple of Christ means. And I pray that we will walk it out boldly and with joy, so that others will see that it truly is a beautiful life. And Lord, teach us to come away with you and to rest. For you are our true and good shepherd. We know the world keeps on spinning even when we lie down, so may we never adopt the idea that things will fall apart if we don't stop moving. We will trust you in your leading, knowing that you will always guide us into places of peace and provision and never destruction. Please teach us humility and let us always follow your example in serving others and not seeking out recognition or honor. We want to prioritize your kingdom above all else so that all who see us know that you are the Christ. You are the Lord and Savior of our lives. May you be glorified in everything we do. We love you in Jesus name. Amen. Heaven and salvation is a divine gift that is given to us by grace. None of us deserve it. In fact, the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. and every single one of us have fallen short. And then we desperately need someone to pay that price. And Jesus did it. He didn't do it because we are righteous on our own merit. He did it because he loves us and he wants to spend eternity with us. But it won't happen if we don't receive him before we leave this earth as Lord and Savior. Hell is a very real thing. And there is no second chance after we take our last breath here. So I want to be able to give someone the opportunity today who is saying, I'm ready. I've never given my life to Christ. I don't know where I'm going to end up after I die, but I don't want to live another day without knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt where I am going to end up. I see now that this is real and I want to believe. So if that is you, we're going to say a prayer and I'm going to put the words on the screen so that you can say them. audibly with your mouth, because the Bible says that when you believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that he died and rose again, then you will be saved. So we're going to say this prayer together. Believe it in your heart, speak it with your mouth, and know that this is indeed the day of your salvation. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus. Jesus, thank you for dying for me. I believe that you came, you died, and you rose again. I confess my sins to you today, and I turn from them, and I now live my life for you. I know that I am forgiven of all my sins, so I receive you now as Lord and Savior, and I belong to you, Jesus. I pray these things in Jesus'name, amen.

Before we get into God's Word today, if you could please help us out, if you're part of the Heart Dive family, by hitting the thumbs up button, that's your roll call button. And if you're new to this Bible study, please let us know in the comments where you are, where you're watching from, how you found us. And please make sure to check out the show notes or the description box or head to our website, heartdive.org. There's a lot of information for you there about this Bible study. And I think a lot of the questions that you might have can probably be answered there.

We have a frequently asked questions section. And I assure you, if you have the question in mind, somebody else probably already asked it. Make sure to check that out, but don't hesitate to ask questions in the comment section. We don't want that to hold you back by any means.

We've got a wonderful family here, brothers and sisters who are willing to help out. So thank you for those of you who do go into the comment section and answer anybody's questions. We are grateful for you.

We are doing this together. We are one heart, one mind, one church, one purpose. So keep that in mind always, because we are doing this life together to be able to spread the gospel, spread the good news, get people into God's Word.

So we're going to go ahead and do that. We're going to jump on in. But before we do, as we always do, we're going to go ahead and pray to prepare our hearts and invite God into this space that we're in. So Heavenly Father, we honor you. We love you.

We glorify you and give you all the praise. We thank you so much for being here with us. Holy Spirit, thank you for allowing us to open up the daily bread, our daily manna, and receive the nourishment and the feeding that we need. Lord, you always give to us exactly what we need, but you also give more. You are that kind of God who gives exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever ask for, think, or imagine.

And so we're just grateful for that. I pray that we'll be open to it. Sometimes we miss the overflow because we're too focused on something else. We're too caught in the weeds or the thorns of distraction. You're like, over here, guys, we're doing this.

And yet we're trying to focus on something else that we think is a problem. And so I just pray that you will... Draw our eyes to you, Jesus. Help us to hear your voice today, especially through this reading.

I pray that you'll minister to us so personally, Lord. Even in the words that I don't speak, Holy Spirit, I know that you will. And so let it not be me, my words, God, but yours so that you can be seen.

I don't ever wanna draw any glory away from you. It's all about you and we wanna bring it back to you. And so please forgive us now for our sins.

I pray that you'll. purify our hearts, cleanse out any gunk that might be in there. Show us, Lord, where we may not be aware, where we might be falling short, where we might be doing too much, where we might not be doing enough.

So whether it is the sin of commission or omission, Lord, we want to know about it so that we can make it right. Help us to forgive others. Please don't lead us into temptation. but delivers from evil.

For yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever in Jesus name. Amen. Alrighty, buckle up. There is a lot to cover today.

We are starting off in Matthew chapter 14, reading from the ESV by Crossway Translation, starting off here in verse one. At that time, Herod the Tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus and he said to his servants, this is John the Baptist. Okay, wait, what is going on here?

Well, first of all, let's stop on who Herod the Tetrarch is. This is Herod. Antipas, who was actually Herod the Great's son. So, Herod the Great was the ruler whenever Jesus was born.

Remember, he's the one who went and had all of the children under two years old killed. So, notice that he does not have the name King. He was actually denied that title. And so, he is a ruler over a certain region.

That's what a tetrarch is. A tetrarch would usually be someone who ruled over four districts. That's where we get the tetra from. So, Herod the Tetrarch was one of three of those rulers in this region, and he did rule over Galilee. And he thinks it's John the Baptist.

Why? Well, it could be because they had similar physical features. I mean, they are cousins after all. Or, I think it might be a little bit of both.

He has his own guilty conscience that is weighing on him. And so, he thinks that John the Baptist has come back to haunt him because we're finding out now that he... killed John the Baptist. So, we continue here in verse 2, He has been raised from the dead, he said.

That is why these miraculous powers are at work within him. For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him into prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been saying to him, it is not lawful for you to have her. So, remember when we discussed this before, Herodias is actually his niece, and she is married to his brother Philip.

Philip, so he seduces his niece and half-sister and ends up marrying her. John the Baptist had good reason to rebuke him for this marriage. It was not lawful for him to take her as his wife. For several reasons.

And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people because they held him to be a prophet. So the people respected John the Baptist. And I think that Herod probably did too.

But the bigger thing here is that he did fear man. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Now, you got to imagine this was a birthday party.

There was probably a whole lot of wine flowing. And I imagine that this dancing that his daughter did was not a sweet little jazz dance. I mean, it was probably some sort of immoral dance prompted by her mother. She said, give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter, because the mother is dealing with her own guilty conscience as well. And the king was sorry, but...

That's a not a good but. Because of his oaths and his guests, he commanded it to be given. So he was sorry because again, like I said, he probably respected John the Baptist, didn't want to kill him. Because of the oath that he had made to his wife and daughter, and to save face in front of his guests, he was going to do it. Verse 10, so he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother, and his disciples came and took the body and buried it.

and they went and they told Jesus. Best thing that you can ever do if you're in any sort of distressing situation is go and tell Jesus. Go and talk to him about it. And clearly we see that the disciples are getting his body so that they can give him a proper burial.

They're honoring him. Verse 13. Now, when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. So he is probably going to mourn his cousin, to grieve his death. He wants to do it by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

And when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, and he healed their sick. So here we see the humanity of Jesus, because he's withdrawing to that quiet place to be able to grieve John's death. And he was also seeking solitude, probably to be with his father.

But instead, he's met with a crowd of people. who were probably wanting something from him, of course, right? Like they want to be healed.

So if you have ever been in a place where you feel like you've been giving and giving, and it never feels like enough, because the more that you give, the more people want from you, and you might know how it feels to just be depleted, and maybe even a little bit burdened or annoyed, because those demands just feel like they're piling up and you can't meet them. But not Jesus. You know, whenever he saw the crowds, he had so much compassion. Because that's simply who he is. He sees a need and he's going to meet it again and again without growing weary.

So heart check. How much compassion do you have? Do you see the mounting needs as a burden or an opportunity to do something to meet those needs? Verse 15, now, when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, this is a desolate place and the day is now over. Send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.

So, the disciples, they think they're doing something good here. You know, they're like, hey, Lord, we can't really feed them. It's dinnertime.

They're probably hungry. So, we probably should send them out to go have a sandwich or something. But Jesus said in verse 16, they need not go away. There's that compassion again.

You give them something to eat. Oh boy. So Jesus is like, y'all see that they're hungry, feed them. You see a need, meet it. That isn't convicting, right?

And they said to him, we have only five loaves here and two fish. And why is that? Well, remember they travel light and they're traveling with Jesus.

So they're probably expecting that he's going to meet their needs. He's going to provide. And he said, bring them here to me because he's about to feed them with the bread of life. Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and he said a blessing.

Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And don't you just love how Jesus took what seemed so insufficient and he made it into something great. And I think a lot of us stop short of what God wants us to do because we limit ourselves by thinking, oh man, my gift is too small.

ah, what I have to offer, it's too insignificant. Or perhaps we've listened to the lies of others who tell us that we're not good enough, right? I mean, we think that we don't have what it takes, or we don't have all the resources to be able to fulfill that dream or that vision that God has given us.

But if we are faithful in the little things, we will be faithful in much. So if we take that little tiny gift and that little ability that God has given to us, and we actually place it back into His hands, He will bless it. He will then multiply it.

And then guess what he's going to do? He's not going to do something about it. He's going to hand it back to us to then go and fulfill that vision that he's given to us.

So heart check. In what ways can you trust God to use what you have in your hands? Have you handed it over to Him? Are you trusting Him to provide what is needed to fulfill the vision that He has given to you? So remember when I was saying, like, I started this Bible study with an iPhone and my Bible.

That's it. I didn't have any special lighting. I just opened up my windows and prayed for good light.

We did Bible study on the beach. We did Bible study in my sister's kitchen. We did Bible study on the airplane. I mean, I was doing it all over the place.

I was faithful in the small thing, and look what God has done. We didn't need anything fancy, you know, to start it off, but look how He's providing at the same time to grow it into something greater. People are hungry out there, you know? They need the Word of God. They want something.

We are basing our entire Heart Dive 365 around this passage here, feeding the people who are hungry with His Word. And we're excited about it. Holly and I were like going back and forth today with all these ideas because we see how he's taking this and he is multiplying it for his glory.

And it's just so exciting. So we continue in verse 20, and they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up those 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over.

And those who ate were about 5,000 men besides women and children. So this probably means there were somewhere around 10 to 20,000 people. that he actually fed with the five loaves and the two fish. And one detail that I don't want to miss here is that between him taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up and blessing his father, thanking him for it, you know, blessing the food, there was a breaking before he could give it out. And that is the case with us.

You know, when we bring our gifts, when we say, I want to serve you, Lord, I want to follow you, Lord, I want to do all the things. He's like, great, but I'm gonna have to break you first. There's some things that are going to be a little bit painful for me to remove.

You're going to have to turn away from something. So you might need to break your back a little bit, you know, to turn away from that thing that you keep going back to. And if we allow Him to do that, if we allow that breaking to happen, He can do a whole lot. Like the little that we have can go a very long way. When I look at some of the most powerful testimonies and the most powerful ministers, I know that there was a breaking that happened within them.

That's what needs to happen before we can then go out and do a great work. Verse 22, immediately, He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side while He dismissed the crowds. So, even though Jesus loved the crowds and He had compassion on them and He wanted to help them, He wasn't about the crowds, you know? He wasn't about the fame.

He wasn't about the hoopla. He knew when it was time for them to go home. Like, He was going to feed them.

He's like, listen, you all need to go now. You need to... go get some rest. I need you to go back to your families. I need you to go do the thing, like live your life.

Verse 23, And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. This was very important to him, and it should be very important to us as well, that we are getting away with the Father in quiet time for prayer and devotion. And when evening came, he was there alone.

But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, so somewhere between 3 and 6 a.m., he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It's a ghost!

And they cried out in fear. Because in this day, seeing some sort of apparition would have either meant there was some sort of doom that is impending, or it meant death was to come. Um...

But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. And Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. Now, this is not Peter trying to test him. This is Peter saying, Lord, I know it's you.

Please call me out of the boat because I want to come near you. That is some big faith right there. He said, come. And Peter got out of the boat and he walked on the water and he came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink.

he cried out, Lord, save me. And Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when he got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, truly, you are the Son of God.

Now, it is really easy for us to get stuck on the O ye of little faith part. But let's give Peter a little bit of credit here. You know, it did take some big faith to step out of that boat and walk on water. I mean, that's a big miracle in itself. But notice when his faith diminished.

It was whenever he took his eyes off of Jesus and began looking around at the wind. He had more faith in the ability of that wind than the one who makes the wind blow. In other words, he had more faith in the storm than in the Savior. But let's not forget, a little bit of faith is still faith, right?

And Jesus still honors that as small as it is. So heart check. Have you stepped out of the boat? Are there any storms or winds that are taking your eyes off of Jesus? How can you remain focused on Him when challenges arise?

So faltering, which Peter did a whole lot of, is not failing. This is why I love Peter. I feel like I'm a lot like Peter. I feel like I screw things up all the time, but it's never a failure. And I've realized that now, like Jesus is going to pick you back up.

And I feel like he says it lovingly, like, oh, you of little faith, why are you doubting? But in the end, we know that this was a perfecting storm. You know, this was the type of storm that likely strengthened the faith of the disciples.

There are correcting storms, like the one we saw that Jonah was sent into, you know, he was going the wrong way. So, the Lord had to send a storm to be able to send him back in the other direction. But this one is a perfecting storm because really our faith cannot be strengthened without that testing.

Remember, we keep talking about it. And lastly, in verse 33, when it says, truly you are the Son of God, this is in the book of Matthew, the first acknowledgement of Jesus as the Son of God by the disciples. Verse 34, and when they had crossed over, they came to the land at Gennesaret.

And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick. and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. And they were made well, not because of the garment itself.

The garment didn't have any supernatural powers. It was their faith that brought them to Jesus to reach out to him, to trust that in just getting near him and touching the fringe of his garment would make them well, that his power then went out to them. Remember, he didn't have to physically touch anybody to be able to heal them.

He could just speak a word, he could be in the next town over, or he could lay hands on people. But we always saw that it was the faith of the people through which Jesus worked. It wasn't their faith that technically healed them. He healed them, but he worked through their faith.

So faith is a big deal. It matters. All right, let's move on over to Mark chapter 6. And we'll be seeing a lot of crossing over of the same stories through the three chapters that we are reading today.

as well as some that we have read previously. So, if we don't go so deep into a chapter and you've never heard it before, like if you're new here, just joining us for the first time, we may have covered these stories in previous videos where I go deeper into commentary in some of them. So, we start off here in chapter 6, verse 1. He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.

And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, Where did this man get these things? What is this wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joseph, and Judas, and Simon? And are not his brothers here with us? And they took offense at him. So these are not compliments for them to call him a carpenter, to call him the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. They're like, this is the dude next door.

How can he have all of this wisdom? And I always find it so interesting, you know, that... People, whenever they see an amazing gift in a person, feel the need to tear them down.

It just baffles my brain. Or you see someone in a position and somehow you feel like you're the judge of them. They shouldn't be there, so I'm going to try to make them feel bad about it.

Why do we do that? But if you are in that position where people are doing that to you, I just say, you know what? You don't need to be honored to be able to use greatly by God.

There are plenty of people who... dishonor me, you know, and who do sling the mud. But I have learned over time to be able to just dust that stuff off and move on because I know my place. I know my authority. I know what God has called me to do.

I will take correction where necessary, but if it is unnecessary gunk that's being thrown at me, petty delete, right? Out the window and moving on. So, their pride and their unbelief is actually going to hinder them in the end.

Verse 4, And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own household. And he could do no mighty work there, except that he had laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

So, remember when I said before, there are only two places in the Bible where Jesus marvels. The first one was at the belief, the amazing belief of the Roman centurion, and now he is marveling at the people's unbelief. Like, He's in this place of like, I don't. I don't understand. I don't know what more you need me to do to show you how much I love people and love you guys and that I am the Son of God, you know?

Like, how many more prophecies need to be fulfilled? How many more miracles do you need to see? And so, when people would reject him, it broke his heart. I mean, it's not like he was like, bye, Felicia.

You know, he wasn't like that. Like, it really hurt his heart because he knew where they were destined. And he didn't want that for anybody.

But we continue. And he went about among the villages teaching. He didn't allow that to deter him from the work he knew he needed to do. Verse 7, And he called the twelve and began to send them out, two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. Now, since the beginning of time, the Lord has been working in pairs.

I mean, since the moment he created Adam, when he said, it is not good for man to be alone, you know, so he gave him Eve. And that was the case with almost every leader in the Bible. He would put a partner next to them. And this is because working with another person, it can help strengthen you. It can encourage you.

You know, those people can comfort you in times of rejection. They can help sharpen or affirm your discernment. And they can stir up your spirit if you start to feel a little bit weary or apathetic or maybe even a bit idle, right?

And God loves to work through teams of people. So if you are resistant to that and trying to do life alone, you might want to rethink it and begin. praying for your other half in every area of your life.

I've got my husband. He's my partner in life. I've got Holly now, who's my partner in ministry. I could not do this without her.

On the daily, I am messaging her, Holly, I need your help. Holly, what do you think about this? Holly, where do we go from here? Holly, look what I read.

Oh my gosh, Holly, you are amazing. It's like we're constantly going back and forth and sharpening one another, encouraging one another, helping one another, affirming one another. Everybody needs people like that.

And if you start to look around, you'll start to see it, how God uses twos and twos and twos. You'll start to kind of have an eye for that because that's the way that He works. So, heart check, are you doing life two by two? Are you closed off to it?

Do you need to pray for your partner in a specific area of your life? Verse 8, He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals. and not put on two tunics.

So like, again, keep it simple. You know, you don't need all the fluff to be able to do my work because all that other stuff just might be a distraction that gets in the way of the message. Verse 10, and he said to them, whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them. So they went out and they proclaimed that people should repent.

So, they did the work. You know, this is the most important part. Jesus can tell us what to do.

We can talk about what we're going to do. We can dream about what we're going to do, but until we do it, we're not going to be effective. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

This is one of the first times, I think, that we are seeing them actually anointing with oil. And this, I believe, is the only place that we see in the Gospels people practicing this. anointing with oil. We know James will later speak on it. Verse 14, King Herod heard of it, for Jesus's name had become known.

So, thankfully, we see that Jesus was glorified through all of this, not the disciples, not John the Baptist, it was Jesus. And some said, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. Close second there, JTB.

That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him. So, some of those people, I guess, didn't recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They think, John the Baptist is coming back from the dead.

But others said, nah, he's Elijah. And others said, he's a prophet, like one of the prophets of old. But when Herod heard of it, he said, John, whom I beheaded, has been raised. For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. So he had that guilty conscience.

For John had been saying to Herod, it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death, but she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. So remember when I was saying he respected John, there that is affirmed.

And when he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. Verse 21, but an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias'daughter came in and danced, She pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, ask me whatever you wish, and I will give it to you. And he vowed to her, whatever you ask me, I will give you up to half my kingdom.

So this was a great amount that she could ask for. By saying up to half my kingdom, it was basically saying, I'll give you almost anything within limits, kind of the same way that King Xerxes told Esther that he would do the same. And she went out and said to her mother, for what should I ask?

And she said, the head of John the Baptist. And she came in and immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head.

He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Verse 30, and the apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. So, here we kind of see the accountability of the disciples to Jesus.

And he said to them, come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. So, there Jesus seeing the need for his disciples to get rest, stressing the importance of rest for all of us. You know, whenever we work, we need rest physically.

spiritually, mentally. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. And when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, which he knows that sheep without a shepherd would be in grave danger. And he began to teach them many things.

And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, this is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. But he answered them, you give them something to eat. And they said to him, well, shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat? So denarii or denarii, I don't know how you say that.

That is 200 denarius. A denarius was basically... one day's worth of work. It was a silver coin. That's typically what they would pay a laborer.

So he's saying, should we go and buy 200 days worth of wages for a bread? So say, you know, today, if you make like $300 a day, that would be $6,000 worth of bread. That's a lot that they were offering to go get. And it makes sense.

I mean, they were looking to feed, what, 10 to 20,000 people. And he said to them, how many loaves do you have? Go and see.

And when they had found out, they said, five and two fish. And then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. That's a new detail that we're seeing that they're actually sat down in groups.

Why did he do that? Well, because he's a God of order and that's how he did things. May have been easier to distribute the bread, may have been easier to count how many people were there.

So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties and taking the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven, said a blessing, broke the loaves. gave them to the disciples to set before the people, and he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate, and they were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish, they had leftovers, and those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Now, any time Jesus fed the people, he brought a feast, you know? He gave them enough food for their own satisfaction and also leftovers, but notice something, He didn't spoon feed them. He handed the food over to the disciples, and the disciples set the food before the people, which means the people had to feed themselves.

Now, we can go to church and we can be spoon fed the Word, but where the full satisfaction occurs is when we pick up the Word for ourselves and we begin to chew on it, we begin to meditate on it, we pray over it. And I mean, at the end of the day, we all have the same amount of provision that is set before us. It really is up to us if we are going to pick it up and feed on it. I mean, if you ever wonder why, you know, one person gets more revelation out of the word than the other, well, perhaps it's just because they are making the greater effort to feed themselves. So, heart check.

Are you filling up and satisfied with God's word? How much is being spoon-fed versus self-fed? And you know, when we start off, we need to be spoon-fed.

We're like infants. We're like children, you know, who are drinking spiritual milk, and that's not a bad thing. But eventually, we are going to have to pick up a fork like a toddler and start picking up some peas on our own, you know, and then eventually you get the silver spoon and fork where you can stab the meat, stick it in your mouth, chew it up because you got your adult teeth. So, it's the same concept, and Paul will talk about this later on in the Bible too. There is an importance in self- feeding.

Verse 45, immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea and he was alone on the land.

And he saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea, They thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified.

But immediately he spoke to them and said, Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their heart were hardened.

I remember when we were saying that the book of Mark was probably highly influenced by Peter. Notice that this book does not talk about Peter walking on the water, and it could have been because Peter didn't want to bring attention to himself in this story, which I thought was pretty interesting. And I don't know about you guys, but I really have grown to see Jesus in a different light, especially because of the way that we are, you know, like, we are created in the image of God. I really believe that God has a sense of humor.

And so when I read this, I almost wonder, like, when he thought, I'm going to walk on the water and appear as a ghost, like, was he kind of chuckling underneath his breath, you know, like any good friend would do? Not intending to scare them, but, you know, I mean, doing so in a loving way. I don't know. We all have this image of who God is and who Jesus was.

I mean, even the way that he's a carpenter, you know, we always see pictures of Jesus like emaciated on the cross. But I'm like, I really think he was a lot more buff than we think. Like he was a carpenter. He was doing some heavy duty working in his day.

I mean, he straight up pulled Peter out of the water with one hand, you know? I mean, at least that's what it sounds like to me. So I don't know.

How do you envision Jesus? Don't think he's as stuffy as we have learned him to be. But that's just me. Verse 53. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.

And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Now, I know when you read these stories, they sort of start to become common to you. Like, yep, there's another miracle. Yep. Jesus did that.

I mean, if you really think about it, none of this was normal stuff. If this happened today, even we would be like, what in the world is going on? So we've got to remember that, you know, we don't ever want this to become such common knowledge that we forget the miraculous power that it took for Jesus to do these things.

It is only by his power that any of this could have happened. So now we jump over to Luke chapter nine, verse one, and he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons. and to cure diseases.

And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. So, whenever Jesus calls us to something, he will also equip us with the power and the authority to do it. So, he's asking them to go out to heal, to preach, to cast out demons. Verse 3, and he said to them, take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics.

And whatever house you enter, stay there and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. So Jesus didn't want them only meeting the spiritual needs through preaching. He actually wanted them meeting the physical needs as well.

That was something else I texted Holly. I'm like, Holly, Jesus called the people to meet both spiritual and physical. How can we meet the physical needs of people as well? And so then we started brainstorming all these things. So Again, I'm excited for what God is doing.

Verse 7, Now Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, John, I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him.

Now on their return, the apostles told him all that they had done. Because again, he is more interested in what we get done. than what we're dreaming about or saying we're going to do. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida.

When the crowds learned it, they followed him and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away and the 12 came and said to him, send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions for we are here in a desolate place. So they are in a wilderness with Jesus, but he said to them, you give them something to eat. And they said, we have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go and buy food for all these people. For there were about 5,000 men.

And he said to the disciples, have them sit down in groups, about 50 each. And they did so and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven, said a blessing over them.

Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, 12 baskets and broken pieces, because he never lets anything go to waste.

He'll even use our crumbs. Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him and he asked them, who do the crowds say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah. And others that one of the prophets of old is risen.

And then he said to them, but who do you say that I am? And Peter answered, the Christ of God. And the reason why the people think that he's John the Baptist or Elijah or any one of the old prophets is because that's what they're looking for to fulfill this role of the Messiah.

They wanted a political reformer. which both Elijah and John the Baptist did kind of rise up against the rulers in their day. So that's why they thought that they fit the mold. But at least Peter here and the disciples recognize that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Christ of God, the promised Redeemer.

Verse 21, And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. Now, imagine being the disciples. You're walking with Jesus who is healing people. He's doing miracles.

He's casting out demons. And then there's this plot twist of what? You're going to be rejected and killed and you're going to have to suffer? Well, keep on reading verse 23. And he said to all, If anyone would come up after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it.

But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. So, Jesus basically told the disciples, okay, so you know how I just said that I was going to have to suffer and be rejected and be killed? Well, guess what?

So will you. He uses this illustration of taking up their cross because no one in their right mind would voluntarily pick up a cross because crosses were put on the backs of Roman prisoners right before they walked to their death, to their execution. I mean, this was a one-way ticket and there was no way out.

And as gloomy It truly is the only way that we will ever find life. We have to first walk to our death with Christ. Hear me out on this. You've got to die to your selfishness. You've got to die to your sinful desires.

You've got to even potentially die to a life of comfort and security. But the return on that death is eternal life and glory. The reward in heaven pales in comparison to what it will cost us here on earth.

So, heart check. What does self-denial look like in your daily walk? What might need to be lost in order for you to find true life?

And it is said that people who do end up living this life are the most genuinely happy people. Because whenever you live this way, you live a selfless life, you live an others-centered life, and you will find that when you do that, that that is what brings true joy. Verse 25, for what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God. Now, this verse has baffled a lot of scholars. Some of them say they believe that he was speaking of the transfiguration, which we're going to read about.

here in a moment, because obviously the disciples die before Jesus returns again, right? So, if he's saying that they're not going to taste death, then perhaps it means Peter, James, and John and being able to see his glory and the kingdom of God in the transfiguration. So, we read about that now here in verse 28, which transfiguration literally means change of appearance.

Now, about eight days after these sayings, he took with him Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. So, imagine, I don't know if you've ever seen a real brilliant diamond under one of those lights, those warm lights, and it's like this most radiant, brilliant thing you've ever seen.

It is the most beautiful thing. I remember when I was a... hostess at a really nice hotel. And these women who had just gotten married would come up and they would put their hands on my hostess desk.

And I was just like, like, it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I imagine that that is what it was like. Verse 30. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah.

Isn't that cool? Like now we see Moses in the promised land who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure. This word might read death in your translation, but it is the Greek word.

Exodus, which is where we get Exodus. That's why ESV says departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.

And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. This is another one of those, oh, Peter moments, because I don't know if Peter is referring to like the Feast of the Tabernacles, you know, where they would put their tents up or whatever, but obviously he is placing Moses and Elijah on the same plane as Jesus.

But either way, he's wanting to just revel in this moment, keep Moses and Elijah there. Like he doesn't want them to go. He doesn't want this moment to end. So he's like, let's pitch a tent. Let's just stay here on the mountaintop.

But Not knowing what he had said, verse 34, as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my son, my chosen one, listen to him. So, this is the second endorsement of the father audibly about his son. And he's telling these guys, I need you guys to focus on him, focus on Jesus, not everybody else.

And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone, and they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. Verse 37, And on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth and shatters him and will hardly leave him.

And I begged her disciples to cast it out, but they couldn't. And Jesus answered, oh, faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Now, Jesus is not saying, ugh, how long do I have to deal with this mess? He's literally saying, how long? I don't have much longer to be here.

I need you guys to get it together and to do these things. Like, bring your son here, he said, verse 42. While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. So this was...

the demon's final attempt on this boy. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God.

And the reason why the disciples probably couldn't cast out these demons is because they may have had a lack of faith at some point. It's not that the gift and the ability was taken away, because the gifts of God are given without repentance. He's not going to take it back, but we could lose our effectiveness. with those gifts. And for them, we see later on that he says, these things can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.

So, perhaps they lost their effectiveness because maybe they weren't praying and fasting. Regardless, we know that they weren't able to do it and Jesus had to come and do it. But while they were all marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, let these words sink into your ears. The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. But they did not understand this saying, and it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it.

So, kind of like the parables, right? Like, now he doesn't want them to completely understand, because they might freak out, they might go telling everybody, and it's not time. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Verse 46, now an argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. I always find this so interesting. I'm like, Jesus just told you that he is going to suffer.

being delivered into the hands of men. He's going to die. And you guys are trying to figure out who's the greatest among you, you know, jockeying for position.

But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child, put him by his side and said to them, whoever receives this child in my name receives me. And whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.

So in a roundabout way, he's basically telling them, I need you guys to just be humble. Stop trying to be so great. Stop trying to receive all of this honor and trying to get position. Be like a child. So this is like a role reversal here, right?

Like he wants them to be like a child because children, they have no social importance. Like they just want to play outside. They want to kick a ball.

They want to be able to play in the dirt. And they're not threatening. Most of the time, they're not jockeying for position. They're not concerned about social status.

They're not jaded. for the most part, they're pretty believing. You know, you tell them something and they're like, whoa, and they have no prejudice. This is what Jesus wants us to be like. Be like children.

Be humble. Verse 49. And John answered, Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow with us. But Jesus said to him, do not stop him for the one who is not against you is for you. So he's like, listen, I don't care how it's happening. as long as it is being done in truth, which was the case here.

You know, Jesus had such an open-handed way of doing ministry. He's like, guys, don't be so closed off. Just because they're not in our little group over here doesn't mean that they're not doing something good for us.

So, he wants us to have a generous spirit in the same way. Verse 51, and when the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. So, now he's on a mission. He's steadfast. And he's He sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him.

But the people did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? This is why James and John got the name Sons of Thunder.

But he turned and rebuked them. and they went on to another village. So, they clearly did not understand the mission at this point.

And he's like, please just shake it off. Like, don't retaliate. Verse 57, as they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go.

And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. A very poetic way of saying, I'm homeless, folks. I mean, he had a home, but. In his ministry, he was basically homeless.

To another, he said, follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. And Jesus said to him, leave the dead to bury their own dead.

But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. So this guy didn't count the cost of what it would take to follow Jesus. And Jesus isn't saying you are not allowed to bury your father if you follow me.

This is a matter of priorities being out of whack and the fact that true discipleship requires immediate action, not let me do all the things first before I follow you, Jesus. And yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those in my home. And Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. So he's telling them, if you guys want to follow me, you've got to commit.

There's no way that you're going to be effective in plowing. or reaping if you're always looking backwards. Your eyes have got to be focused ahead of you.

I mean, we really could all find reasons not to commit to Jesus, right? But when you fully decide to follow Him, it's not a half-hearted commitment anymore. It's like all in.

We're doing this. I'm not looking back anymore. I'm giving it all up for the sake of the call, just the same way that He did for us. And so taking a look at some of our deep dive questions.

What lessons can be learned about the way Jesus handled the news of John the Baptist's death? How does Jesus'feeding of the 5,000 strengthen your faith regarding God's provision and compassion? How closely related are faith and doubt?

How does Peter illustrate this? What moment in your life made you say or believe, truly you are the Son of God? And Jesus asked the disciples who they thought he was.

If someone asked you who Jesus is, what would you say? Who is He to you? And how can we rely more on the authority and provision of God than our own self-sustenance and self-reliance? So, Heavenly Father, we thank You for being such a compassionate God. Even when You were grieving or tired, Jesus, You still had such a heart for people and had such a desire to meet their needs.

Oh, how I pray that we will be more like this. I pray that we will see the hurting and the hungry and we will look to what we can offer them, even if it seems small or insignificant. Because we know that if we give even the smallest amount, Lord, you can bless it, you can multiply it so that it will impact thousands. We know that there is such a spiritual hunger in the world right now with people all around us not even realizing that their souls are famished. So let us be bold enough to bring them to you.

We don't need to be fancy, we don't need to be knowledgeable, perfect, or even polished to send out an invitation. Even within our churches, there are so many who are missing out on the hearty meals that are only found in your daily bread. So let them come and feast on your word so that they can be transformed by the power of your truth. And God, I pray that we will have faith that is big enough to step out of the boat. Keep our eyes focused on you, for we know that after we have gone through the teaching, a test is always on the horizon.

And this isn't anything to fear because you are with us and you will never leave us even in the midst of the storm. So when challenges do arise, Lord, I pray that we will not look to them as being impossible or too big for you to handle. May we always walk in faith and not fear, especially when we face opposition or rejection. We know that you will never send us out to do something that you won't provide strength and resources for.

So whatever task you are placing before us today, I pray that we will pick it up. Bless you for it, allowing the breaking within us so that we can then go out and give unto others. And we thank you for those, Lord, that you have placed in our lives to be partners.

I pray that we will not be resistant to it, but discerning of who you have brought into our lives for specific purposes and fully trusting that it is for our good. We may very well be the partner someone else is praying for. So Lord, I pray that our eyes will be peeled for areas that we can be of assistance.

and help us also to trust in your timing. Sometimes we think that storms need to pass according to our forecast or that you need to provide a miracle right away, but you don't always work that way. The main thing is that we don't lose hope and you are our hope. So help us to remember this when we are in the middle of a storm. of the blessing and the giving right in the thick of the breaking.

That is the most important step of the process for it is in the breaking that we learn to fully depend on you and every ounce of pride is wiped away. But when we come out on the other side we will see things differently and be able to relate to others with compassion whenever they go through something similar. So let us never discount what you are doing through our difficulties. We know that it is in the struggle that faith is developed and perfected.

So we will continue to trust and obey, even when we can't see the evidence or the end result. And I pray that we have a true understanding of what taking up our cross means. Let us count the cost and follow you, even if it means that we must deny ourselves and sacrifice in order to do so.

We know that it is only in the losing of our own life on this earth that we will find our true life and purpose. And that is what we're all seeking, whether we know it or not. I mean, even non-Christians want to know their purpose. So give us the strength to embrace what being a true disciple of Christ means.

And I pray that we will walk it out boldly and with joy, so that others will see that it truly is a beautiful life. And Lord, teach us to come away with you and to rest. For you are our true and good shepherd.

We know the world keeps on spinning even when we lie down, so may we never adopt the idea that things will fall apart if we don't stop moving. We will trust you in your leading, knowing that you will always guide us into places of peace and provision and never destruction. Please teach us humility and let us always follow your example in serving others and not seeking out recognition or honor. We want to prioritize your kingdom above all else so that all who see us know that you are the Christ. You are the Lord and Savior of our lives.

May you be glorified in everything we do. We love you in Jesus name. Amen. Heaven and salvation is a divine gift that is given to us by grace.

None of us deserve it. In fact, the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. and every single one of us have fallen short. And then we desperately need someone to pay that price. And Jesus did it.

He didn't do it because we are righteous on our own merit. He did it because he loves us and he wants to spend eternity with us. But it won't happen if we don't receive him before we leave this earth as Lord and Savior.

Hell is a very real thing. And there is no second chance after we take our last breath here. So I want to be able to give someone the opportunity today who is saying, I'm ready. I've never given my life to Christ.

I don't know where I'm going to end up after I die, but I don't want to live another day without knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt where I am going to end up. I see now that this is real and I want to believe. So if that is you, we're going to say a prayer and I'm going to put the words on the screen so that you can say them. audibly with your mouth, because the Bible says that when you believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that he died and rose again, then you will be saved.

So we're going to say this prayer together. Believe it in your heart, speak it with your mouth, and know that this is indeed the day of your salvation. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus.

Jesus, thank you for dying for me. I believe that you came, you died, and you rose again. I confess my sins to you today, and I turn from them, and I now live my life for you. I know that I am forgiven of all my sins, so I receive you now as Lord and Savior, and I belong to you, Jesus. I pray these things in Jesus'name, amen.

Transcript for:HD 290 Key Insights from Bible Study Podcast

Transcript for:
HD 290 Key Insights from Bible Study Podcast