Taking Kingdom Responsibility with Kingdom Methods

Rev. Enoch Thompson | May 12, 2023 | Matthew 14:15-21

KEY VERSE:

Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Matt 14:16 (NIV)

MESSAGE:

Every person has needs and responsibilities to people who rely on them to meet their needs. Parental responsibility to provide for their children is a natural God-given assignment that we must not shy away from (in fact the Bible links our claim to religion to our exercise of our parental and domestic responsibility and makes discipline among the children of a person seeking church leadership a requirement for the position - 1 Tim. 5:8; 1 Tim. 3:5). In our text for today the Lord is noted to have performed the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes; in this case, “The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” Matt 14:21 (NIV).

While the text shows the power of the Lord Jesus to work miracles it underlines the issue of responsibility. In the first place, the disciples (possibly the Apostles) exercised some of the compassion of the Master by seeing the need of the people to go and find food to eat and tried to get the Lord to disperse the people to go and find their own food. The Lord however put the responsibility to feed the masses on the Apostles; ‘Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Matt 14:16 (NIV). It is easy to parcel out responsibilities and place them with others, even those who are in a disadvantaged position in life because we want the easy way out of the situation. Have you seen parents sometimes leave our little children who are struggling with their homework, to find their way through, when we could help them to understand what they are struggling with. Do we send people away to others, to the church welfare system or to go fend for themselves, when it is in our power to help them? (See James 2:15-17).

In the second place, the Lord showed responsibility by taking steps to meet the food need of His followers. He had fed them spiritually by teaching them Kingdom truth and needed to feed them physically too.

He also demonstrated how we are to handle Kingdom resources to meet Kingdom needs. First, we must bring our resources to the King (v.18), secondly, we must organize the needs in ways that make their analysis and management easier (v. 19a). Thirdly we must pray into and over the resources God has given us (19b). Breaking the loaves as He did in v. 19c is the fourth step, organizing the resources in manageable terms for application. The fifth step in the process (v. 19d) was the attachment of the blessed broken resources to responsible people who will administer it faithfully and to the profit of the Church, family, or oneself for Kingdom benefit.

FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:

Are there some responsibilities that you feel like passing on to other people? Do you want to pause and see if you could take some personal responsibility, for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom? How have you been handling the resources at your disposal, are you maximizing God’s money in your pocket, for that is what “your money” really is? Follow sound and prudent financial management so you will always have the resources to take up Kingdom responsibilities.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I am surrounded by the many needs of my life, the family, the church, and the society. Please help me see where my responsibilities lie, to see the resources available, no matter how little they may see, and to process them by Kingdom principles, to meet the needs and have leftovers for others. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen.

THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.

SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!