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.
- The feeding of the 5000 reveals the wonder-working power of the Lord Jesus.
- The feeding of the 5000 demonstrates the tender, compassionate heart of the Savior.
- 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.