The Plowman

 

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An exposition of Matthew 14:13-21. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, August 1, 2010.

Introduction
The task of preaching is an intimidating assignment to say the least.  It is a task that is filled with both joy and frustration.  While there is never a lack of material – for one can never exhaust the subject, there is the frustration of knowing you are not adequate for the job!  There is a level of presumption if one thinks he can adequately express great eternal truths.  There is something absurd about a man standing to say, “My subject this evening is God, the universe and related topics.”  To try and capture the character and nature of God in a sermon is a bit like attempting to capture the Pacific Ocean in a thimble.  At times seeking to explore the riches of a given text are like drinking from a fire hose!  While I feel wholly inadequate there was one who perfectly revealed Him.

In fact we are told 0that God spoke to man in various ways, through various means in times past but He has spoke His final word in this man.  This one was called the exact representation of the eternal God.  In fact He was the God made flesh.  John tells us that as we behold the Lord Jesus we behold the glory of the only begotten Son of God.  John goes on to say that no one has ever seen God but this one makes Him known.  This one reveals Him, unfolds Him, and explains Him.  This is why Jesus said; “If you’ve seen Me you have seen the Father.”  What is God like?  Look to the Lord Jesus.

This is important because there are so many false pictures of God circulating.  False notions of what God is like and how He acts.  These false notions are often promoted by the way believers live and act.  We must strive to accurately reflect the character and nature of God, yet we must also realize that we are at best a flawed, imperfect representation.  We must constantly point to Christ.  Keep that in mind as we consider one of the great miracles of our Lord, as it is recorded in Matthew chapter 14.

Text: Matthew 14:13-21
This is the only miracle of our Lord that is found in all 4 Gospels.
It is a very familiar story.
We’ve all heard it since we were children – but there is a great truth to be found in it.
For this passage reminds us that:

Thesis: The miracles of Jesus provide profound insight into the character of our God.
There is one great hermeneutical principle to keep in mind when reading the Scripture.
That principle is that Scripture is a revelation of God.
He is the focus.
The primary purpose of Scripture is to reveal God to us.

In looking at our text we must keep in mind that this reveals God.
This is what God is like.
This is how He responds to need.
This is how He handles interruptions.

There are three things I want you to note from our text.

1. The feeding of the 5000 reveals the wonder-working power of the Lord Jesus.
2. The feeding of the 5000 demonstrates the tender, compassionate heart of the Savior.
3. The feeding of the 5000 displays the abundant generosity of the Sovereign One.

What does all this mean to us?
The God we serve is a God of great power who intervenes on behalf of the hurting and does so with great generosity.

 

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This Bible study by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, July 21, 2010.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 2:12-26. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 1, 2010.

Introduction
It seems to me it starts earlier and earlier.  We start asking kids, at a young age, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  It’s one of the fruits of living in a free and prosperous society.  We condition kids early on to understand, “You can be anything you want to be.”  In many parts of the world you won’t find kids dreaming of what they will be when they grow up - they just hope to live long enough to grow up!  As a young person moves toward high school we expect them to have a plan.  “What are your goals?”  “What college are you plan to attend?”  “What do you want to do with your life?”  What is interesting is to see how things change.  I love to go to high school homecoming and senior recognition and hear what the students’ plans are.  “After graduating Susie plans to attend MIT with a double major in nuclear physics and medieval renaissance theology.”  A couple of years later you learn Susie is taking some night courses through TCC and working at Wal-Mart.  My point is youth is filled with optimism and hope and it should be!  I bring it up because it is important to note Solomon did not write Ecclesiastes as a young man but rather as an old man looking back on a life of experience.  When you ask a kid what he or she wants to be when they grow up - they do not answer, “I hope to be a bitter, disillusioned failure.”  The goal, regardless of what path they may choose to follow, is to be happy, successful and live with meaning and purpose.  That is why it is critically important for us to hear and heed the message of “the preacher.”  Solomon’s years of empty experience taught him that experience is empty.  Life under the sun is filled with bitter disappointment and is unsatisfying.

Life without regard for God or the things of God is an empty, vain thing.
While there are momentary joys, times of peace and contentment, they do not last.
Thus the preacher cries, “Vanity of vanities!  All is vanity.”
He sought satisfaction through wisdom and found it empty.
He sought satisfaction through pleasure and found it was an illusion.
In the text we are going to explore this morning he reaches an end to the first section of his book.
Our text is found in the second half of the second chapter.

Text: Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
Keep in mind the preacher is “thinking out loud.”
He is bringing us along in a process.
He is walking us through his life experience and sharing what he’s learned.
I want to point out three things in this summary and then draw a final conclusion.

1. Wisdom while advantageous cannot, in itself, secure lasting joy.  (2:12-17)
2. Wealth and professional success, while providing momentary peace, ultimately falls short of lasting joy.  (2:18-23)
3. Lasting joy only comes through the gracious work of God in the hearts of His people.  (2:24-26)

Conclusion: Satisfaction is the gracious gift of God to His people.