HEART CHECK

This message was preached on June 22, 2008. An audio version of it can be heard at www.gbcwestlake.org and then click on listen now. This was a good message for me, as I continually have to evaluate myself as I read and study about Jesus and His disciples. When they were in the storm, Jesus said they had hardened hearts because they did not learn from the incident of the feeding of the 5,000. They should have. How many lessons have I learned about my God; and yet, in the midst of difficulty, they seem to "go out the window". I encourage you to also take some time for self evaluation during this message.

HEART CHECK
Mark 6:30-56

Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 6. In the Bible in front of you, it is page 871 or 888.

Video: God is Bigger than the Boogie Man
A few years ago, we loved to watch Veggie Tales with our kids, and this was one of my favorites. I thought you might like it too. Whether it is the fears that little children have, like the ones we just saw, or the grown up fears that we all have, there is an important life lesson here. Regardless of the circumstances that cause you to feel afraid or incapable of handling, God is bigger than it all. It is all about having faith that the God we cannot see is much bigger than the problems we are facing.

In today’s passages, we are going to see more people find out that God is bigger than their diseases and be healed by faith. We are also going to see the disciples continue to struggle as they realize who Jesus truly is and how that should affect how they respond to life’s circumstances. We are going to see them fearful, again today, and trying to learn some lessons from what they had already experienced with Christ.

The challenge for us today, is to look carefully at our own hearts, face our fears and evaluate our faith. Are you willing to plug in what you already know about God, into your everyday life; especially when you are facing fearful or challenging circumstances? Let’s take a look at the lessons they learned some 2,000 years ago; and do our own heart check.

This morning, we are going to do something a little bit different. Because of the way these passages work together and are laid out in Mark 6, I think it would be helpful for us to go backwards: to go to the final passage and work our way back, as we check out our own heart condition.

Mark 6:53-56 – “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.”
Jesus and His disciples had crossed the Sea of Galilee once again, this time putting their anchor down at Gennesaret, on the Northwestern shore. It was a beautiful place, known as “the Garden of God” or “paradise”. But, once Jesus and his disciples got out of the boat, Jesus was immediately recognized, and people ran to let everyone know whom had just arrived. Obviously, some of these people had seen Jesus before and knew what He could do. Since there were no televisions or radio or photographs, they saw Him and recognized Him from before. The other thing they had seen and heard was the incredible power Jesus had to heal.

So, the word spread, and quickly. Before you knew it, People were coming from all over to be healed. Friends and family were carrying their loved ones on mats to come see Jesus. There were many in this area who needed healing. Historians tell us that there were several medicinal mineral springs in this area, which made it a resort for invalids. But, now was their chance to walk again, to be healed of their crippling disease. Jesus was coming.

Wherever people heard Jesus was, they took their sick friends to Him. And as He walked from place to place, and through the villages, people would be lying or sitting down, pleading for the opportunity to just touch his garment. Commentators tell us that the fringe of his garment was a border of blue tassels worn by a loyal Jew on his outer cloak. They would touch it and be healed.

But, just as with the woman in Mark 5, who was healed when of a blood disease when she touched Jesus outer garment, don’t get confused. The power was not in the cloth; but in Jesus. And the healing was a response, not to a hand that touched the fringe of the garment; but the healing was a response to a heart of faith. Last week, in the beginning of Mark 6, we saw that Jesus did not do many miracles or healings in his hometown, because they lacked faith.

There is a critical story in the Old Testament book of Numbers, that illustrates what is going on here. The people of Israel had spoken against God and His appointed leader, Moses, complaining about the food that God provided and the lack of water. They actually complained that God had freed them from bondage in Egypt! So, God sent poisonous snakes to bite His people and teach them a lesson. They learned it very quickly and confessed their sins. They wanted to be healed of these poisonous bites. So, God gave Moses a plan:

Numbers 21:8,9 – “And the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”

It wasn’t the looking or the bronze snake itself, as though it were a lucky charm; but the fact that people would look on this snake with faith – believing that what God said was true. This was such a great example of faith, that Jesus used it to illustrate how salvation comes about. Just before the most famous verse of the Bible:

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Just before that, Jesus said this:

John 3:14,15 – “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so mush the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

One day, Jesus would be put on a cross, to die for the sins of the world. And since every single person who has ever lived, had a sin disease and was destined to die apart from God, this was the only solution. If someone would look to Jesus Christ, fully believing that His blood could cover that person’s sins, then they would be spiritually healed – for eternity.

People who looked on the bronze snake, in faith, were healed. And people who touched the fringe of Jesus’ garment, in faith, were healed. The action that delivers is faith; and the object of that faith is Jesus Christ: who He is and what He has done.

The Heart of faith believes in Jesus Christ, and is delivered

That is what the word salvation means: to be delivered. This is true for those of you who need to be delivered from your sins.

Ephesians 2:8 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

God gives you the faith to believe that what He has said is true. That faith allows you to put aside everything else and everyone else you have been trusting in, and to trust only in Jesus Christ for your salvation. But, this is also true of believers. There are continual tests of faith. And just as with these physically sick people who demonstrated their faith by action; so:

SO WHAT?
We demonstrate a heart of faith by action

Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

And Hebrews 11 is full of illustrations of the people of faith, who showed that faith by what they did. It has always been that way; and it continues to be the challenge for us today. Whether it is touching Jesus’ garment or looking at the bronze snake, we demonstrate faith by doing what is consistent with believing every Word God says. When we choose to act on what He says, we demonstrate a heart of faith.

One of my greatest fears is that you would sit here week after week after week, listening to the Word of God, and do nothing with it – no heart change. This is why the Bible says:

James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Let’s move back, now, to the passage before this one. Something significant happened on their way across the Sea of Galilee.

Mark 6:45,46 – “Immediately he made his 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.”

Jesus sent His disciples, into the boat, and on their way across the Sea of Galilee. He then went into the mountain to pray. I firmly believe He was praying about what was about to happen. I believe, based on Jesus’ teaching His followers about faith, that He was putting them into a situation that would test their faith; and, eventually, be a part of strengthening it. What was the test?

Mark 6:47-50 – “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.”

Sometime between 3-6 a.m., Jesus knows it is time for the test. The disciples were struggling against the wind; and so he went to them. He didn’t use a row boat or jet ski. Jesus walked out to them on the water. Another incredible miracle; but for a very important purpose. Jesus walked on the water, in the middle of the night, meaning to pass by them; that is, reveal to them who He was.

In the Old Testament (I Kings 19), when God passed by Elijah, there was a tremendous wind and earthquake. But, God was revealed in a low whisper. So, here, Jesus is going to also reveal Himself, but does it in a way they would never expect.

They, at 4 am., are struggling against the wind. Jesus had sent them out there in the first place. And all of a sudden, there is someone walking by them on the water. Jesus didn’t run up to them, asking how he could help. He was walking by them, as though he was on his nightly walk around the Sea of Galilee!

I remember, as a boy, laying in my bed at night, and looking out into the living room and the corner of the kitchen. Many times, I would see shadows, and begin to imagine that it was a someone in the house, floating toward me, ready to devour. I would scare myself to death, imagining those images to be real and dangerous.

These men saw something they certainly didn’t expect. And as soon as they saw him, they responded: “AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” It’s a ghost! That was their response. They had never seen anyone walking on water. Yes, they should have known who could walk on water; but that wasn’t their response. Verse 50 says: “They all saw him and were terrified.”

But Jesus then speaks to them right away, saying: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Jesus tries to calm their fears with His presence. He identified Himself, and reminded them: there is no reason to be afraid.

Mark 6:51 – “And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.”

Jesus climbed into the boat, from walking on the water; and immediately, the wind stopped, and it was calm. This should sound a little familiar, because something like this happened back in chapter 4. They were in a boat with Jesus, when an incredible storm came up and water came into the boat. Jesus was sleeping, and they woke him, afraid for their lives, and a little ticked that Jesus didn’t seem to care. He spoke to the storm, and it immediately was silent. They were amazed out of their minds back then, and they were amazed once again. After the first calming of the sea, Jesus had asked:

Mark 4:40 – “He said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

They had seen Jesus do some amazing things, but they still had fear instead of faith. In this case, in Mark 6, Mark explains to us that there was a more recent event that should have caused them to have great faith, instead of screaming like little girls when they saw Jesus, and being amazed that Jesus had control over nature. The end of verse 51 states their frame of mind: “And they were utterly astounded.” And then verse 52 explains why:

Mark 6:52 – “For they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”

Their hearts were hardened.

The hard heart does not understand how God could do certain things

The disciples could not figure out what just happened; and how in the world Jesus could do what He just did. That misunderstanding is described as a “hard heart”. And as we are about to see, their hard heart is connected to something they should have already learned about Jesus, which should have been applied to this circumstance.
SO WHAT?
We demonstrate a hard heart when we do not apply what we know to real life

There are things you know about God. You would even say that you believe them. But, in the midst of certain circumstances, it is as though you toss that knowledge aside, and act as though you don’t know the truth. When you or I are unwilling to apply what we know to be true about God, and His expectations of us, to real, everyday life, we could be described as having a hard heart.

But what, exactly, is Mark referring to here in verse 52? What in the world does that mean: “they did not understand about the loaves?” What do loaves of bread have to do with faith? What do they have to do with not being afraid when they saw Jesus, and witnessed His power?

I would like the guys to go ahead and hand out the little packages we have prepared for today. When you get them, please take one and pass it down. Let’s come back, now to Mark 6 and this brings us back one more passage, to verse 34:

Mark 6:34-44 – “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. 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, Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat? 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. Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 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 and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.”

This is the story of the loaves that verse 52 was alluding to. It is more commonly known as “The feeding of the 5,000.” There were 5,000 men there, but someone has estimated that with the women and children, there may have been as many as 20,000 people.

Jesus had been teaching the people all day, but it was getting late. His disciples come to him with a huge problem: Hey, Jesus, you had better send these people away so they can get something to eat. You know, it is like the people I have heard of , that set their alarms to go off at a certain time, so the pastor knows he had better stop preaching – they need to go get lunch. Well, the disciples were thinking very practically, but Jesus had something else in store for them. He said, in verse 37: “You give them something to eat.”

Yeah, right, what are we supposed to do? Spend 8 months worth of wages, 200 denarii, to get enough bread for dinner? They said: Jesus, send them away to go have their dinner. Jesus said: you feed them. And they responded: We don’t have the resources to do that! And then Jesus told them (verse 38): Go see what food you can find. So, they go look and come back with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. “This is all we have Jesus.” I can almost hear the disciples’ thoughts: Now, will you listen to us Jesus? We told you that you needed to send these people home. We don’t have the money to buy them food; and now, as you can see we have 5 measly loaves of bread and 2 pathetic fish. This won’t even feed us, the 12, let alone 5 thousand men!

Barclay says: “These were not like English loaves. They were more like rolls. John tells us they were barley loaves; and barley loaves were the food of the poorest of the poor. Barley bread was the cheapest and coarsest of all bread. They had two fishes, which would be about the size of sardines.”

But, Jesus said, have them sit down, in groups of 50’s and 100’s. He took the food, said the blessing (thanking God for the food), looked up to Heaven, as though to say: “Here we go Father”, and then gave the food to His disciples to pass out.

Imagine the ushers coming to me with the offering plates, that had 20 single dollar bills in it. Then, what if I gave it back to them, but instead of 20, the number kept multiplying, as they took plate upon plate upon plate. That is difficult to imagine; but it is what was going on here. In Jesus’ hands, this bread and fish were multiplying and He just kept handing them out to His disciples, who in turn, handed them to the people. And guess what?

Verse 42 – “And they all ate and were satisfied.”

Are you kidding me? All of those people ate; and this wasn’t just a sampling. They were full – they were satisfied. And that is not all! There were leftovers! For the next week or two, as the disciples ate the leftovers, they would be reminded of this incredible miracle. They took up, verse 43 says: 12 baskets of leftover pieces. Do you think that as a coincidence? Or do you think, perhaps, Jesus wanted to them to learn something from the fact that there was 1 leftover basket for each of the disciples.

So, then, let’s come back to Jesus’ statement in verse 52: “They did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”

What should they have understood? What should they have learned from the feeding of the 5,000, so that they could have applied it to their present test of faith?
Let me suggest four lessons they should have learned:

1. God cares for the physical and spiritual needs of people

Many of the miracles Jesus performed were done to take care of people’s physical needs – such as healing diseases. But, we also know, that while he went around healing, he was also teaching people the truth about Himself; and their need to repent and respond in faith. In this case, the end of verse 34 tells us: “…And he began to teach them many things.” He was taking care of them spiritually; but He also was going to feed them, even without the human resources the disciples thought they needed. And we should not overlook the fact that Jesus was caring for people’s needs.

This also takes us back a few more verses. Check out;

Mark 6:30-34 – “The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. 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. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”

Do you see Jesus’ care for people, psychically and spiritually, moving into the feeding of the 5,000? After His disciples had been going out 2 by 2, preaching the gospel, Jesus took care of them. He knew they needed rest, and so he made sure they got some. They had not even been able just to relax and eat a meal together. I really appreciate Jesus’ heart for His followers, those who were serving Him. I also believe there is an example here, for us, to remember that as we serve God, we also need times of refreshment and rest. Don’t be fooled into thinking that burning out for God is extra spiritual; that is, if there is opportunity to get refreshed and recharged and you are unwilling to take it. Jesus cared about them in that way.

But, once the people saw them coming, the crowds were ready once again. And notice Jesus response to them, in verse 34: “He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus main concern has always been for the spiritual well being of people. And when He saw this group, His heart went out to them, knowing they needed spiritual guidance. They certainly weren’t getting it from the religious leaders. So, as we have already read, at the end of verse 34: “…He began to teach them many things.”
Take a look at your packet that was handed out. You have the cracker, which represents bread and you have your little fish. The bread and the fish. Whenever you look at this, remember that God cares for the physical and spiritual needs of people.

What else should they have learned from these recent events, from the feeding of the 5,000?

2. God is in control

Whether it was the circumstances of hungry people or spiritual malnutrition, or a windstorm that threatened life, or a disease that caused pain, God was in control. In this case, it was the Son of God, the promised Messiah, who was in complete control of everything that took place. The disciples should have known that. They should have understood it. They didn’t.

Whenever you wonder if God is in control of your tough circumstances, look at this bread and fish, and remember what He did with the tough circumstances of 5 barley loaves and 2 sardines. What else?

3. God performs miracles

How many different miracles do they need to see? He turned 5 loaves and 2 fish into a banquet that fully satisfied thousands. Why was it so difficult to believe that he could walk on water and calm the sea?

Sometimes, you might think solely in human terms, what you are able to do, and you feel defeated. You forget that God is still a God of miracles. He could still do what no one else ever could imagine. When you look at this bread and fish, remember that God still performs miracles. One more lesson they should have learned:

4. God can do a lot with a little

They saw the 5 loaves and 2 fish and thought there was no way it was enough. But, with their own eyes, they saw Jesus feed thousands with it. They should have learned that lesson. They should have known that when he said “you feed them”, he wanted them to understand that they were insufficient in themselves, but that He could do it through them. One lesson they were going to need to learn, which should have been evident from their time out sharing their faith 2 by 2; is that He would use them greatly, even though they were very weak.

When you look at the bread and fish in this bag, remember that God loves to take what seems insufficient and use it greatly for His glory. When you wonder if He could ever use you, be encouraged with what He did here.

Well, we have seen the state of the disciples at this time; but we cannot just stop with an evaluation of their heart condition. We have got to take a few moments here, before we close, to consider whether you have a heart of faith right now, or if you are struggling with a hardened heart.

On the back of your outline, I have included a little test for you. It is a self-evaluative test. This is not for you to evaluate anyone’s else’s heart, but your own.
There is a scale for you to take a moment and really consider this. With Heart of faith on one end and Hardened Heart on the other, how would you grade yourself, right now? The scale looks like this. Circle the number on each statement that reflects where you believe your heart is right now. The closer you mark it to one of the 2 statements, the closer you believe you are to that.

Personal Evaluation
Hard Heart Heart of Faith
You read God’s Word 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 You do not take the time

You are obeying regularly 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 You do not obey

You are not listening 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 You include God in your decisions

You are not trusting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 You are joyful with ups or downs

You are not acting in faith 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 You are not afraid

This is an opportunity for you to ask God to help you evaluate what is really going on in your heart. If you find that your score on something is closer to the heart of faith, then thank God for that and ask Him to help you keep going that way. If it is closer to a hard heart, then confess your sins, humble yourself and begin to move toward a heart of faith in that area.

Let’s pray.