7-1-2023 West Palm Beach Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Garfield “The Power of Community – Behavior” Matthew 14;15-16

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7-1-2023 West Palm Beach Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Garfield “The Power of Community – Behavior” Matthew 14;15-16

 

I feel in my spirit that we are in a season of refining. A season where God is perfecting us to that which He wants. Hallelujah, we give God all the Glory and Praise! When you are going thru refining, it is so that your behavior can be more in tune to the plans and expectations of God. In Jeremiah 28, Jeremiah went to the potter’s house and he saw refining happening. As we are together in the presence of God, we are going thru a season of refining. When God is taking you thru this refining, there are times it is going to hurt, going to feel uncomfortable but understand that God will show us in the end the plans He has for us.

Even with Moses, who was brought up as a prince in a palace. But when his refining times came, he was looking after sheep on the backside of a mountain. His refining time came when the burning bush existed. Glorify God! Give God all the praise. We remember Gideon who was hiding from the enemy. His refining moment came. I want to say to someone right now, this could be your refining moment. We pray to God that we hear from Him today in Jesus’s name we pray. As Christians we are to understand that we are to behave a certain way. Brothers and sisters when you accept Jesus Christ, you are not perfect. But with every refining moment you are closer to the expectations of God. Your behavior becomes more aligned with the will of God. The more we submit to the plans of God, spend time with God, it is the more we are refined. It is the more that we are drawing closer to God’s expectations for us.

The behavior that we have, the behavior that God expects is what binds us together. It is not by accident that the Bible says that one can chase a thousand and two will put ten thousand to flight. The question is how many will three people put to flight? Three people can chase 100,000 to flight. Such is the power when we come together as a community. When we come together as a community, we are able to accomplish much more than as individuals. That is why even becoming members of this church is very valuable and important.

Our text is coming from Matthew 14;15-16 but I want to point out Matthew chapter 11. This is when Jesus said come unto me all ye that labor and I will give you rest. We have a God and we have a Lord who is always calling us to Himself. The more we respond, the greater the community is. The more victorious we are, the larger the kingdom of Heaven. The larger the kingdom of Heaven, the smaller the kingdom of darkness. And that is why we glorify God. In our text Jesus had already received the news that John the Baptist was beheaded before the events in verses 15-16. I want us to understand that when He heard about John, Jesus left the multitude in a very reflective mode. He went to another place but the multitude followed Him.

Before our text starts, it tells us that Jesus healed the sick. Jesus gave the community Hope. Brothers and sisters He gave them a glimpse of the God of Heaven. He gave them a glimpse of the authority and power that no man has but God. When the evening was coming, the disciples went to Jesus and said it was getting late and they didn’t have any resources/food to feed all the people. They said we are not going to ask you for provision/food, but we are going to ask you to send all these people away. Brothers and sisters if you only know the power that salvation brings, you will never run away. If you understand the authority of God, you will never question anything that is done. Jesus in His glory said do not send them away, feed them. This verse 16 brings us to an understanding that only a miracle can take place.

Sometimes you are in your own situation and we have all kinds of solutions. But we must understand the power that Jesus has. The power that Jesus has is way beyond our circumstances. Brothers and sisters whatever state you are in now, never give up on Jesus Christ. An answer is on the way. You may not see it now. What you see may not be enough, but my God will multiply it. Then you will sing a song of my God delivers again. When things seemed hopeless, God reached down His hand and all the forces of darkness had to flee. Whatever state you are in, know that God is alive and well!

We are going thru a process of refining. Jesus when speaking to the disciples, He was changing their mindset. He was allowing them to realize that there is more within them than that which they could even ask or imagine. I want you to understand that the behavior you have is based on the identity you have taken on. Let us reflect on the identity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that God Himself came down from Heaven in the form of a man. And He went to Calvary’s cross, died for our sins and was resurrected after three days. He ascended into Heaven and will come back for us Christians. The identity of God is I Am Divine and there is none like Him. God stands above everything that is on earth.

The identity of Jesus Christ is holiness. They identity of Jesus Christ is righteousness. The identity of Jesus Christ is faithfulness. Brothers and sisters do you realize that as the disciples listened to Jesus, they may have been wondering where they could find food. I remember the woman at the well when Jesus told her to draw from His well that will never run dry. Understand that it is already inside of you, that spring of water that will never run dry. You have what is required to feed the people of God. You have the identity with Jesus and so you have work to do. I want you to understand that your identity and how you understand your identity, this will drive the things that you will do. There are two ways that your identity drives you. The first way is that there are some things about you that come naturally out of being born by your parents. You have no control over your complexion, no control over your hair unless you dye it or cut it temporarily. The point is that we are who God has made us to be and there are some things we have no control over.

Now when you are born again after accepting Jesus Christ, the Bible says you are a new creation and a brand new man. In this newness, you take on some things that you can’t help yourself. It just happens. The other part of your identity is what which you need to stretch to attain. Some things come naturally, your complexion, your height and so on. Understand your education does not come naturally, you have to work for it. Brothers and sisters when you understand who you are as a Child of God, then there are some things that you are going to be doing. There are some things you will be aligning to who you are. As you align, there are some things that you will be putting down. In the text, Jesus had compassion on the multitude and healed them before the verse 16 took place.

The identity of Jesus has compassion. When you have compassion it is cast out upon others that you have contact with. When you have compassion, you realize that your life is not your own but it belongs to Jesus. And because of this you will willingly share it with those who are in need. Compassion is a characteristic of that identity we hold. It doesn’t matter how eloquent you are or how good you are in basketball. It doesn’t matter how you are with anything. What matters most is that relationship you have with Jesus Christ. Somebody say Amen. Somebody glorify God. He is worthy to be praised!

Look what happened. The disciples said to Jesus all we have is five loaves and two fishes. That is a meal for one person. This rings the same way when we have limited resources. I want to bring in a new idea that when it is not enough, p-l-a-n-t it. Three people got it, the rest are wondering if I spelled right. When it is not enough, the new behavior, the new identity says that we are to plant it in the fertile soil of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We glorify you God because your soil is forever fertile. Brothers and sisters it does not matter how incapable you are of doing some things. When God calls you to do it, the behavior has to be. Remember that behavior is wrapped up in your feelings, thoughts and actions. Your thinking has to be “Yes Lord”. When God calls you, your response should be “Yes Lord, have your way”.

 

AMEN

 

[NConly]

Best read all day. Amen.