Mark chapter 8. Try to bring
your message this morning about the Lord Jesus Christ feeding
this multitude. I know we have studied this once
before back in Mark chapter 6, but the Lord is And doing the
same thing again, providing for needy sinners. Now, the title
of the message this morning is, Satisfaction Found in the Wilderness. Satisfaction Found in the Wilderness. And I take my title from verse
4. And his disciples answered him
from whence can a man satisfy? And that word there means to
supply in abundance. It means to fill to the full. How can a man satisfy these with
bread here in this wilderness? How can this be? Satisfaction
found in the wilderness. Again, we see the Lord Jesus
Christ providing for the needy, feeding a great multitude. As
it says, notice, chapter 8 of Mark verse 1 in those days of
multitude being very very great and they had nothing to eat nothing
to eat it says in the latter part of these verses 8 and 9
that there were at least it says above 4,000 About 4,000 plus the women and
children that were included. How can a man feed this hungry
multitude of needy sinners in the wilderness with seven loaves
of bread? Now just thinking about that
in a natural way is impossible. Impossible. Yes, with man, salvation
is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. Now this is a repeated miracle,
like the one we've already studied in Mark chapter 6. Throughout
our Lord's ministry, He healed many. He repeatedly healed many. He repeatedly healed the blind,
over and over and over again. He repeatedly cast out demon
spirits and healed many. He healed all those who had need
of healing. He did this over and over and
over again. He repeatedly raised the dead. He repeatedly caused the lame
to walk. Why did He do this over and over
and over again? Here, He feeds this multitude
of hungry, needy sinners with an abundance. It says that they
all went away filled. They all went away satisfied. The Lord said, I will not send
them away empty. I'm going to fill them up. Now,
why does he repeat these things over and over and over again? I can think of at least three
reasons. You can probably think of some others. The first one
is this. There were so many who were in
need. So many that were in need in
that day. And this is the very reason he
came. He said, I come not to be ministered unto, but to minister
to others and to give my life a ransom. I came to give my life
a ransom. for many. In Luke chapter 4,
it declares this in the scripture, The Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, our Lord said, because he hath anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor. He hath sent me to heal the broken
hearted. What do we read in Psalm 34?
He's nine to them of a broken heart. Save us such as we of
a contrite spirit. He sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captive, recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. He came
to minister unto the needy, the helpless, the guilty. He said,
I didn't come to call the righteous. I came to call sinners unto repentance. So that's the first reason why
these things are repeated over and over and over again. Because
there were so many people in need. Second reason is this.
Not only is that so, but also to clearly and publicly demonstrate
that He is the Christ of God. That He is the Messiah. He said,
the works that I do declare and bear witness that I am the Christ. Often he said, I came to do the
works that the Father had given to me. And finally he said on
Calvary 3, it's done. It is finished. I've accomplished
salvation. All that he did declared the
majesty of his person, his deity, his Godhood. He is the Messiah
in John chapter 5. Our Lord said, I have greater
witness than that of John, speaking of John the Baptist. For the
works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works
that I do, they bear witness of me that the Father hath sent
me. He did raise the dead. He did
give sight to the blind. He caused the deaf to hear. These things declare unto us
that He is the Messiah. Thirdly, Here's the third reason
why these things are repeated over and over again. These miracles
and all the works that he did. Thirdly, he knew the hearts of
wicked men. It says in John chapter 2, he
needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was
in them. He knew the religious skeptics
of the day would deny His glorious works and question the reality
of His deity, question the reality of His miracles. Therefore, He
repeatedly did these things and He repeated His miracles in a
most public way before thousands of people to stop the mouths
of unbelievers, to stop the mouths of the critics. He did these
things, not in a corner, He fed 5,000 on one occasion, plus the
women and children. Here on this occasion, He fed
4,000 plus the women and children. Manifested His deity that He
is the Messiah in a most public way. You know my friend, He is the
same today, yesterday, and forever. He is the same Lord. He does
not change. He said, I am the Lord, I change
not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob, you are not consumed. The One
who performed all those mighty miracles in that day is the same
God that we worship today, who is able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make
intercession. The multitude had nothing to
eat. They have nothing to eat. Nothing
to eat. Nothing to satisfy that hunger,
that desire to eat. Well, that's a strong passion,
isn't it? Have you ever tried to... I know you've all done
this. Have you ever tried to diet?
Try to shed a few pounds? And you get that feeling in your
stomach and it drives you to the refrigerator. Or it drives
you to the cupboards. You have a desire to quench that
hunger. It's a strong desire. Oh, I tell
you, it takes a lot to suppress that appetite. And here these
people have been, this multitude of people, been in the wilderness
with the Lord, worshipping Him three days with nothing to eat. You know, they were really interested
in worshipping Him. And looking to Him, they just
forgot about their hunger. And looking to Him, they found
food, spiritual food, as the Lord Jesus is the bread of life.
But here they had nothing to eat physically to satisfy this
need. This multitude of 4,000 men,
they had nothing, they had no bread, probably no water. They had left their houses three
days ago. They maybe had a full meal when
they left. Maybe even some of them took
a small provision with them for the day's journey. But here they
come to the Lord and in this wilderness they have this time
of worship in three days. They eat nothing. And they had
nothing. That's what it says there. They
had nothing. They had nothing to eat. Now, I'll tell you what this
is a picture of. This is a picture of what we
have and what we are before God Almighty. Nothing. in and of
ourselves before God Almighty, we have nothing whereby to satisfy
God's holy law and justice. We have nothing. Nothing. Men and women individually, men
and women collectively before His throne of holiness and justice,
we have nothing to recommend ourselves before God. We are
truly, spiritually bankrupt sinners with nothing but our sin, our
iniquity, our trespasses, and our guilt before God. We've all
sinned and come short of the glory of God. All of our righteousnesses
before God are as filthy rags. We have nothing whereby we can
satisfy God in His holiness, God in His justice. Now listen
to the record. Here's the record of God. Psalm
39. Don't turn. Let me just read
these to you. Psalm 39, verse 5. Trying to demonstrate by the
Word of God and declaring to you what we are naturally in
ourselves. We're bankrupt. We have nothing. No righteousness. No goodness. Nothing but sin. And here's the
record of God. Psalm 39. Behold, thou hast made
my days as a hand breath, My age is as nothing before thee. Barely every man in his best
state, at your best point, is altogether nothing. Now that's God's record. Now
you may think you're somebody, but God declares just the opposite.
By nature, by birth, by practice, being born in sin, shapen in
iniquity, before God we have nothing to satisfy His holy law,
His holy justice. Psalm 62, 9, listen to this. Surely men of low degree are
vanity, men of high degree are a lie. To be laid in the balance
they are altogether lighter than Vanity. Vanity. Isaiah 40. Listen to this. All nations, not only individually,
but you pile them all together. If you added 10,000 zeros, what's
the sum total of 10,000 zeros? I'm not real smart, but I think
it's zero. Zero. All nations before him are as
nothing They are counted to him less than nothing and vanity. Now why do I mention this? Why
do I mention this? Because it's true. It's true. We need to know what we are before
God. Nothing. Nothing. Most people
think they're the opposite of nothing. Most people think they're
somebody. Most people think too highly
of themselves. Most people think the opposite
of nothing. Most people think they have everything and are
in need of nothing. That is, most people think that
they're not sinners. Are you a sinner? I'm not talking
about what you have done or will do or are doing. I'm talking
about what you are before God. Guilty. Most people don't think
they're guilty. Most people don't think themselves,
you know, I'm not that bad. Well, one worm comparing itself
with another worm, you know, that looks pretty good. But how
about a worm compared to God Almighty who is holy? There's
no comparison, is there? Most people think they're not
sinners. Most people think they're not guilty before God. Most people
don't know anything of a justifying righteousness that they need
before God's holy law and justice. I'm reminded of the scripture
that our Lord wrote down for us in the Revelation, chapter
3, verse 17, and those people in that Congregation of Laodicea
said I'm rich increased with goods and have needed nothing
and the Lord comes back with this answer You know not that
you're wretched miserable blind poor and Naked. Oh, we're rich. We're increased
with good. We have needed nothing. No, it's just the opposite is
true Now I tell you this truth compassionately as I can You'll
never sue for mercy. You'll never beg God for pardon
until you're emptied and stripped by the hand and power of God
Almighty. You know who ate food that day
in the wilderness? Those that were hungry. Salvation
is for those who have been emptied by God's grace. by God's power. Grace is for the guilty. Mercy
is for the miserable. Righteousness is for sinners.
Those who know that they are nothing before God. Now listen
to this. Now you write this down. You
write this down somewhere or commit this to memory. You'll
never put on the robe of righteousness by faith until you're killed
by your own nakedness before God. Now I'd almost bet If you
walked outside Thursday or Friday in this sub-zero weather, you
didn't dare walk out without your coat on, did you? You know
why? You were chilled by your nakedness,
therefore you put on that coat. Well, I bundled up. I put two
hats on. One hat on my head and another
hat over that that covered my ears and everything. I chilled
by my nakedness. And therefore I put on that extra
clothing. And as a sinner before God, until you're stripped by
God Almighty, you'll never by faith believing Him, lay hold
on Christ who is our righteousness. He clothes us with Himself. He is the Lord, our righteousness. Now in our story today, who ate
the bread and went away filled? Those who had nothing to eat. Our Lord said this in Matthew
chapter 5 verse 6, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness, they shall be filled. That's the blessed
man. Are you hungering and thirsting
after righteousness found in Christ? Or are you as a busybody
going about to establish your own righteousness by the deeds
of your hand? Or are you resting by faith in
the Lord our righteousness? May the Lord be pleased to show
us what we are by nature, nothing. And then show us what the Lord
Jesus Christ is in salvation, everything. And truly He delights
to show mercy to sinners. Lord, give us that hunger for
the bread of life, Christ Himself. That's the first point. Secondly,
the Lord Jesus Christ is full of compassion. You see it in
our text, Mark chapter 8 verse 2. He says, I have compassion
on the multitude. Because they have now been with
me three days, they have nothing to eat. The Lord is full of compassion. Now this word compassion means
to have inward yearnings of pity. It's an expression of that deep
passion in the Lord's heart of mercy toward those who are needy. Remember what we read? He's near
unto them of a broken heart. Save us such as be of a contrite
spirit. It's a display of the Lord's
character. He said, I will show mercy. He said, I will have compassion. Now it's sovereign mercy, grant
you Romans 9 says, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.
I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. It's
sovereign mercy. It's sovereign compassion. But
notice this. He said, I will have. He will
show compassion and love to his people. In the Psalms many times. Now turn back to the Psalms.
I want to show you this and you can mark these in your Bible.
Turn to Psalm 86. Psalm 86 verse 15. Psalm 86 verse 15. Full of compassion. But thou,
O Lord, art a God full of compassion, gracious, long-suffering, plenteous
in mercy and truth. Plenty. Now if they write in
the Psalms, turn over to Psalm 111. Psalm 111. He is full of compassion. Depths of His riches. What is the length and breadth
and height and depth of His love? Nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Psalm 111, look at verse
4. He hath made His wonderful works
to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full
of compassion. Psalm 112, notice this, verse
4, unto the upright there rises light in darkness. He is gracious
and full of compassion and righteous. Full of compassion. Full of mercy. The Lord Jesus Christ clearly
demonstrates this in His earthly ministry to sinners. Turn back
to the book of Mark. Find Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter
1. You remember the story about
the leper? He came before the Lord as a mercy beggar. In Mark chapter 1 verse 40, there
came a leper to him, beseeching him, kneeling down to him, saying,
If you will, you can make me clean. Verse 41, And Jesus, the
Savior, moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched
Him and said unto Him, I will be clean. He moved with compassion. Why? He's full of compassion.
There's another example of that. Mark chapter 5. Turn over there.
Mark chapter 5. You remember the wild man? The
wild, naked, crazy man that dwelled among the tombs and no one could
Help him, no one could tame him till he met the Lord of glory.
In Mark chapter 5, look at verse 19. Howbeit Jesus suffered him
not, but saith unto him, You go home to your friends, tell
them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath
had compassion on you. He's a God full of compassion. A God full of mercy. He is the God. God is love. He's a God of all grace and He's
a God of all comfort. In Matthew 15, 32, don't turn,
let me just read this to you. It says there of this same story,
He said, I will not send them away fasting. That is, I will
not send them away empty. Why? Because He is a God. He is God who is full of compassion. He is full of love. You know,
but I ask you this, where do you see the grand display of
His love and His compassion? Where do we see the grand display
of His love and His compassion? I tell you where, at the cross,
at Calvary's tree. The just suffering for the unjust
that He might bring us unto God, He is full of compassion. It says this in the record of
Scripture, John 13, verse 1, Having loved his own, he loved
them to the end. I want you to find 1 John chapter
3. Turn over there. Talking about
this love of God. Demonstrated in Christ dying
for sinners. It says in Romans 5, God commended
His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. He commended His love toward
us. I want you to find 1 John 3, 16. This is 1 John 3, 16.
Hereby perceive we the love of God Because He laid down His life
for us. We ought to lay our lives down
for the brethren. Now find 1 John chapter 4 verse
9 and 10. In this was manifested the love
of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son
into the world that we might live through Him, here in His
love, Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the satisfaction, the propitiation, the sacrifice
for our sins. Oh, here in His love. You see,
His love is demonstrated in the fact that He died for His sheep. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. I'm nothing. I'm empty of righteousness. I'm empty of goodness. I have
no righteousness. But you know what? He's full.
Of His fullness do we have grace for grace. In Him goes all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Christ we are complete. He's full of compassion. Here's
the third thing. The Lord Jesus Christ is able
to satisfy all our need in this wilderness in which we live. He's able to satisfy all our
need. Satisfy. Supply in abundance. In verse 4, you see that? From
whence can a man fill or supply these four or five thousand people,
women and children, with bread here in the wilderness? How can
that be? It's who this man is. He's a God-man mediator. God-incarnate. God-manifest in the flesh. Now,
be assured in your heart that as completely as the Lord provided
for all their needs in the wilderness that day, He's able to supply
all our need according to His riches in glory through Christ
Jesus. Now let me illustrate it this
way. Israel of old, when God delivered them from Egypt, through
the Red Sea in that Sinai Desert 40 years. Most people think 2
or 3 million people were delivered out of Egypt. 2 or 3 million
people sustained in a wilderness for 40 years. How? By the power of God Almighty. Provided for them 40 years. It
says in Scripture the Lord provided a table in the wilderness. And
you know what that's a picture of? That's a picture of God providing
all things for us in Christ Jesus. It says this in Psalm 105. Talking
about how God provided for them in the wilderness. Those 40 years.
It said He spread a cloud for a covering to cover them from
the burning sun. It says that He gave fire to
give them light in the night, to lead them by the way. The
people asked for meat, and He brought a whole flock of birds,
quails. They were knee-deep in quails,
provided abundantly. He satisfied them with bread,
that manna that fell from heaven, forty years, six days a week. They gathered double on that
sixth day so they could rest on the seventh day, the day of
worship. He opened the rock. He smote the rock. Moses did with a rod. The smitten
rock and the water gushed out and it said that that rock followed
them. I get the idea that that stream
of water, just wherever they went, that stream followed them.
Christ is the water of life. You see the manna from heaven,
the picture of Christ, the bread. Our Lord said, I am the bread
of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst. Can he
provide bread in this wilderness in which I live? Oh yes, abundantly
so. Water out of that smitten rock. It says in 1 Corinthians 10,
They all did drink of that same spiritual drink, for they drank
of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. How about that cloud that covered
them, and that fire at night? Shelter and protection by the
cloudy pillar of fire. Christ is our shelter, our refuge,
our righteousness. Now get a hold of this. In Deuteronomy
chapter 29 verse 5, Forty years they traveled in
that wilderness and it said their clothes didn't wear out, and
the shoes on their feet didn't wear out. God provided for them
a covering. And the Lord Jesus Christ, He
is our covering. He is our shelter. Now, Christ
is our shelter, our refuge, and our righteousness. That's why
Paul said, Oh that I may win Christ and be found in Him. Now
there is no satisfaction or salvation in this wilderness in which we
live, in this world of sin and Saul, except that satisfaction
and salvation which is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is in a person, Christ. That satisfaction that's found
in Christ Jesus. Now listen to this. Except that
satisfaction which is provided by God Almighty, for God Almighty,
we will not be saved. You see, God demands that His
law be satisfied. I have nothing. But the Lord
Jesus Christ, He is my satisfaction before God's holy law and justice.
He did satisfy the law of God for us. The Lord of glory satisfied
His own holy justice with the sacrifice of Himself. Isaiah
53 He shall see of the travail of
his soul, and shall be satisfied. My righteous servant shall justify
many, for he shall bear their iniquity." You see, that which
God demanded, the Lord Jesus Christ supplied. And that which
God provided in Christ is only that which God will accept. What He's provided, He will accept
in Christ Jesus. That's my satisfaction before
God. That's my salvation. Let us find satisfaction and
salvation in nothing except, nothing else, and nothing less
than His person, His glorious person. To you who believe, He
is precious. Let us find satisfaction and
salvation in nothing less than His propitiation, His sacrifice. God set Him forth, justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God set forth to be the propitiation for our sins,
that He might be a just God and Savior. Let us find salvation
and satisfaction in nothing but His person, nothing but His propitiation,
and nothing but His pardon, His pardon for sin. The blood of
Christ cleanses us from all sin. Let us find satisfaction and
salvation in nothing less than His presence. He said, I'll never
leave you. I'll never forsake you. Let us
find satisfaction in nothing else and nothing less than His
power. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. It is the power of God and the salvation. And let
us find complete satisfaction in salvation in nothing else
but His good, wise providence. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. Can a man satisfy these in the
wilderness? With Him, all things are possible. There is complete satisfaction
in the Lord Jesus Christ because there is complete salvation in
Him. Here is the last point. His storehouse
of grace, His storehouse of mercy is inexhaustible. Notice if you
will, it says in verse 8 and 9, When they asked around how
many loaves they had, they had seven loaves of bread. The Lord
took the bread and the small fishes and blessed it. It says
in verse 8, they did eat and were filled, took up the broken
meat that was left, seven baskets. And they that had eaten were
about four thousand, and then he sent them away full. They
started out with seven baskets full. They fed all those people
and they still had full baskets. The Lord performed this same
miracle twice with a specific purpose to show us that He is
ever gracious, plenteous in mercy. He fed all those people. He could
have fed that many more. Now here is the point. There
is no way to exhaust the richness of His grace. He is rich in mercy. He is rich, but God who is rich
in mercy for His great love, wherewith He loved us even when
we were dead and in sins, of His great mercy. I'm reminded of this story of
the prodigal son. You remember him? Recorded in Luke 15. He spent
all of his substance, he said to his dad, he said, give me
what I've got coming. Give me my inheritance." And
the father gave him all. And he went away into a far country
and spent all he had on righteous living. And was reduced to nothing. Now he's down in the hog pen.
And just asking for a little bit of hog food. He has nothing
to eat. And he's at the bottom of the
barrel. And the scriptures declare this.
It says, when he came to himself, he realized his condition, deplorable,
and he was nothing, had nothing to eat, and was dying. He thought,
how many hard servants of my Father's house have bread enough
to spare, and here I perish with hunger. He said, I will arise
and go to my Father and will say unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven and before thee. and am no more worthy to
be called thy son, just make me a hired servant." Well, you
know the rest of the story. The father saw him, loved him,
ran and met him through his arms around him, provided a great
banquet and put his robe on him. And that's all a picture of salvation
in Christ Jesus. There is eternal fullness in
the Lord Jesus. I quoted it a while ago. In Him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Christ
we are complete. John 1, 16 says, Of His fullness
have we all received grace for grace. All that come to Him as
mercy beggars will be filled. I've never read one time in Holy
Scripture where the Lord of Glory sent a mercy beggar away without
meeting that need. Blind Bartimaeus, Lord have mercy
on me. Healed him. That leper. Lord, I may be clean. He said, I will be clean. Declare it in Romans 10, 13,
all that call upon him shall be saved. I'm going to call.
All who shall call, whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. I'm going to call. Acts 16 declares, believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. I'm going to ask God to give
me faith. By him all that believe are justified from all things
which could not be justified by the law of Moses. Now I close
with this. Here's the scripture we started
with, Psalm 34. The angel of the Lord encampeth
round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. O taste
and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man that trusteth
Him! O fear the Lord, ye His saints! There is no want to them
that fear Him." The believer doesn't lack for anything before
God's holy throne, justified completely, forgiven completely
in Christ Jesus. There is no want to them that
fear Him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they
that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. All things are complete and full
in Christ Jesus. It says here that they did eat and
filled and they took up leftovers. Four thousand people.