All right, let's turn back to
the 14th chapter of Matthew. After John had been executed,
beheaded by Herod, and the disciples of John took up his body and
buried it, it says they went and told Jesus. And our Lord departed to a desert
place outside the city of Bethsaida. And the multitude of people followed
him. It was late in the afternoon.
Our Lord had been preaching to them and healing their sick.
There were thousands of them around there. The disciples came to him, and
they said, Lord, this is a desert place. There are no stores, there
are no shops, there are no restaurants, no place for the people to get
anything to eat. It's way past time to eat, and
the folks are hungry. Why don't you send them away?
Why don't you send them away? that they may go into the villages
and buy them something to eat. And our Lord looked at his disciples
and he looked at the crowd and he said, they need not depart,
you feed them. They need not depart, you feed
them. And the disciples looked at the
crowd, five thousand men, not counting the women and the And
they said, Lord, we don't have enough food for this crowd. There
are thousands of people here. And Lord, our resources are practically
nothing. All we have are five loaves and
two fish. That's all we have. And how far
do you think that will go in this crowd? We can't even feed
ourselves with this pitiful amount of food. And he said, well bring
them to me. Bring them to me. And the scripture
says he lifted his eyes to heaven and he blessed that food. He
blessed what they had. And using what they had with
his blessings, he fed the people abundantly. They were all filled.
and had plenty left over. Now there's so many sermons in
these verses, each praise is just dripping with blessings
and meaning and instruction. We need to ask the Spirit of
God to anoint our, not only his word, but our ears. The word
is always anointed. His word never returns void. The Word of God is a glittering,
gleaming, sharp, two-edged sword. And it never is preached without
effect. You can't touch it without effect. It makes alive and it kills.
It kills too. So you're not, no man is indifferent
to the Word of God when it's preached in the power of God's
Spirit. It's a sword. It's a sword. It's a sharp, two-edged
sword. And we need to pray, not that
God will just anoint his word. He's already anointed that. Not
that God will make powerful his precious word and gospel. It's powerful enough. But that God will anoint our
ears to hear it, and our eyes to see what he's saying, and
our hearts to understand it. Christ said, He that hath ears
to hear, let him hear. He said it, but they didn't hear
it. Blessed are your eyes, they see, and your ears, for they
hear. Behold, I speak to the multitude
in parables, because they've got eyes, but they don't see,
and they've got ears, but they don't hear, and they've got hearts,
but they don't understand. So if you've got ears to hear,
he said, you hear. So Spirit of the Living God,
we don't pray, anoint your Word. It's anointed. The Word, the
Gospel is a power of God always unto salvation. But Lord, give
me ears to hear it. That's our problem. We come and
sit and the Word's there. And here's the tragic thing. It may be that we're unaware
of the fact that that Word is accomplishing something. It may
be hardening us. The same sun that melts the ice
hardens the clay. It just keeps getting set and
set and set. And people will get gospel hardened.
They get hardened to the word of God. Just like a man who lives
by a railroad track doesn't hear the train anymore. It's gone
by so many times he's totally unaware of the fact it's out
there. It's out there and it's a powerful train. But he doesn't
hear it. He's been there too long. This is the field where hidden
treasure lies. The pearl of price unknown. And that merchant is extremely
wise who makes that pearl his own. It's here. It's here. God's word's here. God's in that word. God's truth's
in that word. God's power's in that word. God's
gospel's in that word. And it either makes alive or
it slays, but it's never without effect. What I pray is that I
will be given ears to hear. There's something here. The Lord
didn't spend all this time just talking about the miracle of
feeding 5,000 people. So let's look at one or two of
these phrases and see if anything of any eternal consequence can
develop. First of all, in verse 15, and
when it was evening, late afternoon, his disciples came saying, this
is a desert place. This is a desert place. Are we not in the same situation
today? This is a desert place. Oh, we
don't know what it is to be without food and water, comfortable clothes
and shelter, transportation. But we know what it is to be
without the Word of God. We know what it is to be in a
famine, not of food and water, but of hearing the Word of God.
We had friends this week in this congregation, in this church,
for a Bible conference, who came from all parts of the country,
and how they told me what they would give to have a place to
hear the Word of God preached. A couple from McLeansboro, Illinois,
a couple from Jackson, Ohio. people from Hussar, Louisiana.
One dear lady said, I hate to go home. I hate to go home. I don't have any place to go
next Sunday to hear God's Word. One man said while he's here,
I hope they fire me while I'm gone so I can move up here and
hear the gospel. And I'll tell you this, some of you, and I'm
provoked. Some of you didn't take advantage
of this opportunity. I am provoked. You don't know
what you have, and God would be just to take it away from
you. Right? And they said, Preacher, you
don't know what it's like. You don't know what it's like
not to be able to hear the Word of God. A dry and desert place. A dry and desert place. Well,
I know this. The dead have no appetite. They don't have an appetite for
food, and those who are dead in trespasses and sins don't
care whether words preached or not. They don't care. They're satisfied
with the husk of the pigpen, that satisfies them. They're
satisfied with the water from the contaminated cisterns of
flesh, that satisfies them, that's sufficient. But God's people
have to have the word. I can't survive without it. I've
got to have the word of God. Our word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path. I've got to hear it. God's people
have to hear it. You know what he said in Amos?
He said, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I'll send
a famine in your land. I'll send a famine in your land,
not a famine of food, bread, a thirst for water, but a famine
of hearing the word of the Lord. You don't know what that's like.
You don't know what that's like. never hearing the Word of God.
The redeemed must hear the Word. We've substituted in this day,
are you happy with this type of thing? We've substituted programs
and promotions and entertainment and oratory and organization
for the blessed Word of God. There's nothing, nothing, there's
nothing that will take the place of God's Word. My heart weeps
for this generation. How can men know God unless they
hear the truth about God, huh? How can men know their condition
and their sins and their wretchedness without hearing the word of God?
How can they know? How can they know the mercy of
God? How can the mercy of God be revealed if men do not hear
the word of God? How can the way of life be learned
if men do not hear the way of life? Turn to Psalm 19. And are we not David's? Are we
not sons of God? Listen to David in Psalm 19.
He's talking about the Word of God in verse 7. He says the law
of the Lord, that's the Word of God. It's perfect. The Word of God is perfect. Converting
the soul. Souls won't be converted without
the Word. He says the testimony of the
Lord is sure. It makes wise the simple. We're
all simple. It will never be wise, Charlie,
without this word. Never. We've got to hear it.
We've got to preach it. We've got to read it. We've got
to feast upon it. We've got to give it to the people.
The soul will not be converted without the word. You've got
to hear the word. Say what you will about preaching.
God is chosen by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. We had 14 preachers here this week to preach the
Word, and they preached the Word. They preached it. And that's why we bring them
the preaching of the Word. It's not just to make you theologically
smart. It's not just to make you Baptists. It's to convert your soul. It's
to make wise, simple men. That's what the Word of God does.
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The
commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are
true and righteous altogether. Oh, God's Word. God's Word is my hope. God's
Word is my comfort. God's Word is my life. I can
do without bread, but not God's Word. I can do without the luxuries
and comforts of life, but not God's Word. And I don't understand
how any professing believer can do without God's Word. Hearing
God's Word, feeding upon God's Word, feasting upon God's Word,
fellowshipping around God's Word, studying God's Word, how do you
make it? In Matthew 22, our Lord said,
you do err. not knowing the scriptures. How
can you know them when you don't listen to them, don't hear them? You err because you don't know
the scriptures. He said, blessed are they that hear the words
of God and keep them, but you can't keep them if you don't
hear them. He said in John 5, 24, he that
heareth my word, he that heareth my word and believeth on him
that sent me hath life. How can you believe on him if
you don't hear his word? He said in John 6, 6-3, it's
the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The
flesh doesn't profit anything. Everything connected with this
flesh, God will someday destroy. The glory of man is as the flower
of the field, flesh is as grass, the grass withereth, the flower
fadeth, the word of God endureth forever. I'll tell you how strongly I
believe in the preaching of the gospel, how strongly I believe in it.
I believe when God's word is preached, when God's people meet
on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, or during special
Bible conferences, I don't care if you're a dearest loved one,
lies at the funeral home in memorial tribute, your place is here in
the word of God. That's how strongly I believe
it. I don't care if your wife is in the hospital. You can visit
her in the morning, you can hear God's word in the evening. That's
how strongly I believe it. God's word, the preaching of
the gospel, the fellowship of God's people is first with me. Absolutely first. There's nothing
in this world that's before Christ. That's right. You may not believe
it that strongly, but I do. The table of the Lord is set
and prepared, and blessed are they that hear God's word and
keep them. Romans 10, 17 says, Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. This is a desert place. We're
in a desert time. We're surrounded by famine. There's
no preaching of the gospel. You're blessed to have it. Blessed
above all people. This is a desert place. And the
disciples came to the Lord and they said that. This is a desert
country. There's nothing here. There's no place to get food.
The people are hungry. It's getting late. Send them
away. And the Lord Jesus said, they need not depart. They need
not depart. You feed them. You feed them. You know, I read again yesterday
the story of Hagar. It's an impressive story. Abraham
was told by the Lord that he would have an heir. a God-sent
heir through whom Christ would come. And Abraham and Sarah waited,
but Sarah got impatient. I think she was in on this more
than he was. So she gave him her handmaid,
and they had a son named Ishmael. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.
And after Ishmael got to be about 14 years of age, God sent Isaac. And Ishmael mocked Isaac. Ishmael represents the law. And
he mocked the gospel. He mocked Christ. He mocked Isaac.
And God came to Abraham and said, Abraham, that bond son can't
live with that free son. Cast out the bond woman and her
son. Cast him out. In other words,
get rid of him. And Abraham had an unpleasant
task. He went to Hagar, and you know
he loved that boy. It was his only son for 14 years. And he went to Hagar, and he
gave her a bottle of water and some bread, and he said, you've
got to go. You see, Isaac is the gospel.
Isaac is Christ. Isaac is the way of grace. Ishmael
represents the law, human righteousness, human works. And the two can't
abide together. One's got to go. One's got to
go. My human merit and human righteousness
has got to go. I may have offended you a moment
ago when I talked about the importance of the gospel, but my Lord said
that. Old John Jasper used to say, I apologize for me, but
not for God's Word. Our Lord said if you love mother,
father, husband, wife, brother, sister, your own life more than
me, you can't be my disciple. That's what he said. That's what
he said. And Abraham can't love Ishmael
more than God. And so he went to Hagar and Ishmael,
and he said, you have to leave. And he gave her a bottle of water
and a little bread and turned her loose in the desert, in the
wilderness. And she wandered, evidently lost her way, because
you know Abraham pointed a way for her to go. And she evidently
lost her way and wandering out there in the desert. And finally
she gave out of water and gave out of food. And the boy, mama,
where are we going to eat? I'm thirsty. And finally she
fell down exhausted and she put him over in the shade of a bush
and she went around, she didn't want to watch him die. And she
went all the way around by herself and cried unto God, Thou God,
seest me. And God opened her eyes and there
was water there all the time. It was there. And she didn't
see it. It was a desert place, dry parts,
hunger, thirst, and she didn't see it. But God opened her eyes
and she saw it. And our Lord said to these disciples,
it's here, you don't see it. There is water, there's food
for the soul in this land of famine. It's somewhere, I guarantee
you. I guarantee God's not left himself
without a witness. It's here. There's food in this
desert. There is. There's water in this
desert. There's water for the thirsty. There's a well of comfort in
a dry, distressed, and desert land. There's every provision
for the weary traveler. It's here. It's here. Yes, this is a desert place,
but it's here. Yes, this is a dry and desert
place, but it's here. They need not depart. That's
what Christ said. They don't have to leave. They
don't have to despair. They don't have to be hungry.
You don't have to be. Is there not a word from God
for our generation? Yes, it's here. Is there not
a well in a desert plain? Yes, it's here. There is a well
in a desert plain. Its waters call with entreating
strain. Oh, every thirsting, sin-sick
soul, come freely drink, and thou shalt be whole. Why will
you die? Why will you die when the well
of life is so nearby? Why? Why do you go on? But preacher,
I have no money. Come ye that hath no money coming
by. Come and bow. Oh, everyone that's
thirsty, come. But preacher, I have no righteousness.
You need not depart. Christ said, I'm come to call
not the righteous, but sinners. Well, I'm not a member of God's
family. He says when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God by the death of His Son. But I'm so weak, I would embarrass
the host. Go call the poor and the maimed,
the haught and the blind. My house may be filled. No poor
man ever embarrassed my Lord. No maimed and halt and guilty
and wretched and weak creature ever embarrassed Christ. He called
them friends. I'm a nobody. I can't add anything
to the feast. You need not depart. Let not
conscience make you linger, nor fitness fondly dream. All the
fitness he requires is to fill your need of him. I'm saying
this. Here was a multitude of people.
in a dry, parched, desert land, and the disciples came to our
Lord and said, ìThis is a desert place. Thereís nothing to eat.
Itís late. The people are perishing. Theyíre
hungry. Send them away! Send them away!î
Our Lord said, ìThey need not depart. Feed them. Feed them. Feed them. Itís here. Feed them, Lord. Look at verse
17. They said, We have here but five
loaves and two fishes. Feed them, Lord. How? How? And these mortal men looked
about at this vast, hungry multitude, thousands of men, women, and
children, and then they looked down at their pitiful morsels.
You picture this in your mind. Here they stand. Just normal,
mortal, human beings. Twelve men. And our Lord is sitting
there, and the multitude is out there, and He says, feed them!
And they stand there and look at one another, and then they
look at Him, and then they look at the multitude, and they say,
how? I'm sure they could have wept
over their inability. They could have wept over their
weakness. They could have wept over their
small supply. Feed them! Satisfy them how? We can't feed ourselves. Lord, why don't you command us
to create a world? We could do that just as easily
if we could feed these people. Lord, why don't you command us
to raise the dead? We could do that as easily if
we could feed these people. Why don't you command us to hold
back the sun? Why don't you command us to stop
the rain? Why don't you command us to stay
the wind? It'd be just as difficult. Let's
feed these people. Don't you think for a moment,
I look at the weakness of my own heart, and God tells me to
strengthen you, and I tremble. How can I strengthen them? I
can't strengthen myself. I look at the weakness of my
own spirit, and I tremble. The Lord says, comfort ye my
people! How do I comfort them? I can't
comfort myself. The Lord says, Tell my people
to be of good cheer. And I look at the sinfulness
of my own heart and tremble in the hopelessness of such a command. And I look at the unbelief of
my own mind and I tremble when Christ says, Call them to faith. Call them to faith. And Paul
said, who's sufficient for these things? How? How? How indeed? How indeed? Feed them. They don't need to
depart. There's no reason for them to
depart. You feed them. You feed them. You give them
to eat. And the poor disciples said, Lord, look, this is all
we got. This is all we got. Look at us. Look at the multitude. and tell us how we can feed them. Let me tell you something. Here
is the key. Here are the most blessed words
in this whole text. Verse 18, and the translators
of scripture have isolated it into one sentence, one verse
by itself. He said, bring them to me. Bring them to me. bring them to me." I'm as mortal as you are, and
every other preacher is too. And if he thinks he's not, he's
in trouble. I'm as weak as any of you, and any preacher who
thinks he's not is in trouble. I'm as empty as any of you. These disciples were hungry too.
And the desert place was a desert to them too. Their feet were
standing on the same sand that the multitude's feet were standing
on. He said, Preacher, you don't know my trials. I don't. You don't understand how difficult
it is out there. I don't. I'm standing in the
same sand you're standing in. I'm just hungry as you are. just as hungry. I'm just as mortal
as you are. I've got five fingers on each
hand, just like you. Two eyes and two ears. Can you see that? That's the
disciple standing here. And the Lord says, you feed them.
You feed them. How do I feed them? I don't have
anything either. And the Lord says, bring them
to me. All right, now, what's he talking about? First he's saying this, bring
me your pitiful loaves and fishes, bring them to me. That's the
first thing. I would say to any young minister,
if any young minister listens to this tape, I'd say first of
all, listen, and any preacher, bring me your pitiful loaves
and fishes, bring them to me. Don't take them to seminary and
get them fixed up. Don't take them to college, don't
take them to a professor, don't take them to a preacher, don't
take them to anybody, bring them to me. Bring me your loaves and
fishes. Bring me what you have. Bring
me your stammering tongue and I'll anoint it. Well, we can't minister to others
and we can't be a blessing to others and we can't feed others
if we're trying to do it ourselves instead of bringing our loaves
and fishes to the Lord. and letting him bless them. You
see, they brought him. They said, bring me your loaves
and fishes and they brought their loaves and laid them in his hand
and he did something before they did something. He lifted his
eyes to heaven and he blessed those loaves. He blessed those loaves. He blessed
those fish. And there was no limit to the
potential once he blessed them. Now, if God calls on you to pray
or to teach or to preach or to sing or anything else, I don't
have the ability. Moses said, I can't talk. Well,
you just take those two miserable little fish and those five miserable
little loaves and put them in Christ's hand and let him bless
them. Boy, let me tell you something.
Let me tell you something. There's no end to what God can
do. Bring me your feeble mind. I'll give you wisdom. The wisdom of this world is not
going to amount to a hill of beans. Why don't you quit using
it? Why don't you quit leaning on it? Why don't you quit depending
on it? Why don't you quit boasting of it? Why don't you quit trying
to get as much of it as you can? Bring me your simple, foolish,
feeble mind. I'll anoint it. I'll give you
some wisdom. I'll give you insight into some
mysteries. I'll give you understanding.
You sit around and argue doctrine, but you come, bring your little
simple mind to the Master and let him, let him, let him bless
it. And oh, one of the greatest black
preachers, I just finished reading his autobiography, John Jasper,
Richmond, Virginia, born 1812, died in 1901. 55 years old when he started pastoring
his first church. Thousands of people, they turned
people away, came to hear that. He had the most pitiful grammar,
you couldn't believe the way he talked. But oh, how he exalted
Christ, talked about the Lord Jesus. God took that simple mind
and that stammering tongue. Bring me your weak, doubting
heart, I'll cleanse it. Bring me your empty hands and
I'll fill them. Bring me your dull and lifeless
frame and I'll raise it. Bring me your sinful soul and
I'll redeem it. Bring me your unclean lips and
I'll touch them like I did Isaiah. I'll anoint them. I'll put a
coal off the fire of glory on your lips. You'll feed my people. God's people aren't interested
in your philosophy. They're not interested in your
arguments. They're not interested in your reasoning. They're not
interested in what you think or what I think. They're interested
in what God says. What God says. But I don't. This is too much for me. It's too much for you. This is
a desert, dry, thirsty, parched land. There's nothing to eat.
There's nothing to eat. Yes, there is. Christ said they
need not depart. It's here. Hagar, there's the
water. It's here. If you just had eyes
to see it, do you? If you had ears to hear it, if
you had a heart to understand, it's here. And you know where
it is? It's in the flesh. in the most
unlikely place, the most unlikely source. That's where it is. It may be in a despised... Our
Lord was despised and rejected of men. He didn't have any credentials. He didn't graduate from the school.
He didn't have any letters after his name. His friends were publicans
and sinners and fishermen. Everybody, it was anybody, turned
thumbs down on him. You go hear Dr. Sound and Bryce,
who has the credentials, who has the approval of the ecclesiastical
powers, and you'll dry up and die just like he is. But find
you somewhere a man who just has five loaves and two fish,
and that's all. But God Almighty has got a hold
of those five loaves and those two fish. And He's blessed it. He's anointed it. And that man's
going to feed God's sheep. That's right, Woody. He can feed
them if God blesses it. Bring me your loaves and fishes. All right. Here's the second
thing our Lord meant. He said they don't need to leave.
You feed them. And here are these poor disciples.
They've got nothing. Feed them! And they said, Lord,
how? He said, well, bring them to
me. Bring me your loaves and fishes, and then bring me your
congregation. Bring them to me in prayer. Bring them to me in prayer. I
said a moment ago I was provoked with some of you, but I didn't
quit praying for you. I'm provoked with indifference.
I'm always provoked with indifference. I don't understand it. I don't
understand it. I don't understand unfaithfulness
and indifference and carelessness where me and souls are concerned.
I don't understand it, but I pray for you. Pity you, but I pray
for you. Bring them to me in prayer. Bring
them to me with a sincere heart. Don't salve over the sower. Operate
on it. Call attention to it, point it
out, deal with it, rebuke, reprove, with all longsuffering and patience.
But bring unto me with a sincere heart. I care whether or not
you go to hell. I care, desperately care. I care just as much for
you as I do my own flesh and blood, maybe more. If I did, I wouldn't be up here.
Bring unto me with a sincere heart. Bring unto me with a broken
heart. I know that I won't be able to minister to everybody,
but I tell you this, those to whom I do minister and God enables
me to preach to them, I'm going to be honest with them and true
to their souls and tell them what God says. Bring them to
me with a broken heart, a sincere heart. Bring them to me with
all your faults and theirs too, but bring them to me. Bring them
to me. Bring them to me. Bring them
to the cross for cleansing. Bring them to the throne for
mercy. Bring them to the right hand
of God for intercession. Bring them to the tomb for resurrection. Bring them to me! Bring them to me. Out of my bondage,
my sorrow night, Jesus, I come. Into thy freedom, gladness, and
light, Jesus, I come. Out of my sickness, into thy
health. Out of my want and into thy wealth, and out of my sin,
into thyself, Jesus, I come to thee. But you can't come to him
till you leave everything else. When you leave everything else.
Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus, I come. Into the
glorious gain of thy cross, Jesus, I come. Out of earth's sorrows,
into thy balm. Out of life's storms, into thy
calm. Out of distress, into jubilant
psalm, Jesus, I come to thee. Here I am, Lord. If you'll have
me, I'm yours. If you'll have me, I'm yours.
I don't come with a divided heart. I come with a single heart. I'm
yours if you'll have me. Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come. Into thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come. Out of myself to dwell in thy
love. Out of despair into raptures
above. Upward, for thee, on wings like
a dove, Jesus, I come to thee. Bring them to me. Bring them
to me. And I tell you this, with all
my heart, as sincerely as I can say it, The multitude, plenty
of them, they're all over this world. It's a desert land. It's
a dry and parched and depressed and desert land. There's no food
or water out there, very little. It's a famine of the Word of
God. But our Lord said there is food for the hungry and there's
water for the thirsty. And he has given ambassadors
and witnesses and ministers to feed the people. Give it to them. You feed them. And I say that
I can feed God's people if, first of all, if one thing, if I bring
what I have to Him, what I have, who I am, what abilities, what
God has given, bring it to Him, the pitiful five loaves and two
fishes, and He anoints it and blesses it, and you too, you
can minister if you bring them to Him. And also when you bring
the loaves and fishes, bring your class. Ladies, bring that
whole group of boys and girls, bring them to the Lord in prayer
with a broken heart and a broken spirit. Lord, make me a vessel. Fill me. Fill me with our spirit. Fill me with our word. Fill me
with our love. Fill me with our compassion.
Fill me with our mercy. And then when I hand that glass
to somebody else and he drinks. It's not me that's ministering,
it's the Lord who fills me with his Word. You see that? Bring
them to me. Oh, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the water, and out of your belly shall flow a river
of living water. This he spake of the Spirit.
But you don't stand out yonder on the outside, on the outskirts,
and reach in every once in a while and walk with Christ. You commit
yourself. Paul says, I've committed. I'm
committed. Totally, absolutely, unconditionally,
unreservedly, I'm committed to Jesus Christ as my Lord. Our Father in heaven, how we
pray that a mighty work of grace, a mighty work of mercy