Mark 8:1  In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
2  I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
3  And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
4  And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
5  And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
6  And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
7  And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
8  So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
9  And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
10  And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

Last night reinforced, for me, the fact that God sets up rulers and He takes them down. I have mentioned before that Canada is on life support. We are a ship going down. It is just a matter of time before it sinks. I do not know when that will be, but it is coming. The fact that God kept the same corrupt government in place and in fact gave us a more corrupt leader than we had for the past ten years tells us where this country is going. As in the past, it will be up to God as to where this country goes next. He has not called Christians to sit back and watch the ride. He has called on Christians to stand upon the sure Rock and contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. True Christianity has never been popular and it certainly is not popular today. It is high time for true Christians to understand that we are not in a numbers game. We are in a spiritual war that is being played out in real time. The enemy is a defeated foe who is kicking and screaming to try to gain the victory. He is being given some room to enact his evil plot, but he cannot win.
I do not believe in replacement theology. Canada is not Israel. We have Jews living in Canada and part of the reason this country is in the mess it is in, is because of the hatred for Jews that is quite prominent in this country. That is a shame and a curse upon this land. Last night we were reminded by God that this hatred is not going away. It is up to those who love the Lord to love His people. We need to continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We need to stand upon the sure Word of God and make that Word known “in season and out of season”. It is certainly out of season now, but it is still needed now.
The Gospels paint a completely different picture than that of the world. The Gospels focus on one character and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the need in the first century and He is still the need today. He alone can change the heart of man. In the time that Jesus was on this earth, it was individuals who were saved. It was not massive crowds that turned to Him. In Acts 2 and 5 we read of large numbers of people being saved. That was not the norm. That was a blessing for sure, but persecution soon set in and the work was much more of a challenge. Even in the midst of that amazing time, in Acts 4 we read of Peter and John being imprisoned and beaten and threatened and told not to speak in Jesus’ name any longer. They of course refused to bow to that ungodly demand. The enemies of God were overpowered, not by Peter and John, but by God. The saints were praying and God heard and answered their prayers. God wanted all people to be saved then and He still wants that now. We can move forward for Him today.
In our text we read that the multitude that was with Jesus at that time was great. They were desiring something. They did not know what they truly needed, but Jesus knew. He taught them for three days. He gave them the Good News. He helped them to see what God had given through the prophets in the Old Testament. He showed them that the Pharisees were hypocrites and not worthy of honour. The people would not be convinced yet, but they had been given the truth.
We read in verse 2 that Jesus had compassion on the multitude. That is the true nature of God. He cares deeply about humanity. In our text, He not only cared about their spiritual needs, but He also cared about their physical needs. He knew they had come a long way and He knew they could not make that trek home without some good food in their stomachs.
In verse 4 we read that the disciples had a different approach to this situation, than Jesus had. They looked at their pockets and they looked at the economics of the situation. They also looked at the logistics. Where would they find food for such a multitude in the wilderness?
Jesus asked them a simple question. He just wanted to know what supplies they had in their midst. Obviously the disciples had been scouting around and they found that they had seven loaves and a few small fish.
Jesus again showed the importance of organization. The disciples needed to get the people to sit down. They could do that. Jesus took the seven loaves and the few fishes and He gave thanks, and brake them and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. The disciples did as they were told and set the food before the people.
In verse 8 we read that they ate and were filled. The disciples took up seven baskets of left overs after everyone had enough. We read that there were about four thousand people at this gathering. That is a fairly large crowd. That presented a task that was too big for the disciples to deal with. They needed the Lord Jesus Christ to guide them through this challenge.
One thing among many, that the disciples needed to learn, is that Jesus is always there to meet the need of the moment. They did not need the food until that particular time. There was no need for them to preplan this. They were not taking anything for granted. Jesus came to save sinners. He came to give sight to the spiritually blind. He poured Himself into teaching the people the truth. His Word is more than sufficient to meet every need that man will ever have. Those who are born again need to be growing in the Lord as we feed on His Word. We need to pray for boldness to make that Word known in the world in which we live. We need to pray and ask God to guide us in proclaiming that Word for His glory. A watered down Gospel is no Gospel. Jesus warned:

Mark 7:13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

God’s Word will never lose its power. What has no power is the corruption of God’s Word. That can draw crowds for now. It offers nothing for the soul of man. Jesus looked at the multitude and He did not want to send them home empty. He knew some of them would not make it home if they did not get something to eat. Spiritually speaking, no one will enter heaven unless they are born again. True Christians cannot stand strong if they are not being fed the truth on a daily basis.
In our text, Jesus did what was needed in that particular area at that time. When He had sent the people away, straightway He entered into a ship with His disciples and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. There were other areas that needed the truth. All areas need the truth. God still wants all people to be saved today. In order to be saved, people need to hear the truth and they need to believe the truth. Don’t settle for second best. Know the truth today and then help others to see the blessings of knowing the truth.
For those in Canada that are saved, let us not allow the current government system to get us down or cause us to compromise. Let us press on for the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a purpose even in the midst of the current environment we face in this country.
Pastor Bartel