Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey, my name is Drew Boa. I'm the founder of Husband Material, where I help men outgrow porn. Today's episode is the sermon I recently preached at the Husband Material retreat in Colorado. The theme of that retreat was you are not too much, you are enough. And those words resonated and echoed throughout the weekend. It was absolutely beautiful and my sermon is a reflection on that theme. From the book of Mark, verses 30 through 56. So I am going to read that passage from the New Living Translation and then enjoy the sermon.

Speaker 1: 0:44

The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught from the New Living Translation, and then enjoy the sermon. And his apostles didn't even have time to eat, so they left by boat for a quiet place where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said this is a remote place and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat. But Jesus said you feed them With what they asked. We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people. How much bread do you have, he asked. Go and find out. They came back and reported we have five loaves of bread and two fish. Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of 50 or 100. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted and afterward the disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.

Speaker 1: 2:37

Immediately after this, jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida. While he sent the people home, after telling everyone goodbye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Late that night the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake and Jesus was alone on the land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him, but Jesus spoke to them at once. Don't be afraid. He said. Take courage, I am here. Don't be afraid, he said. Take courage, I am here. Then he climbed into the boat and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out.

Speaker 1: 3:44

The people recognized Jesus at once and they ran throughout the whole area carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went in villages, cities or the countryside they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe and all who touched him were healed. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Do you know what it's like to be tired, drained, burned out, completely exhausted? Some of you have felt that way coming into this retreat. Have you ever poured yourself out until it seemed like you had nothing left to give? That's how the disciples felt when Jesus invited them to go on a retreat.

Speaker 1: 4:34

The 12 disciples had just returned from a ministry tour. They've been healing the sick, driving out demons, preaching the gospel basically all the things we do here and they're tired, exhausted, completely spent and extremely stressed. There were so many people coming and going that they didn't even have time to eat. I can relate to that. And at that exact moment, jesus said let us go off to a quiet place and rest a while. In other words, come away with me, let's get out of here. I want you to feel refreshed, rested and rejuvenated. I actually care about how much energy you have and I want you to have more. So let's go somewhere special, a quiet place where words are few and it's just us. What do you say? Isn't that a beautiful invitation? Don't you want to accept that invitation right now, and in many ways you did by coming on this retreat accept that invitation right now, and in many ways you did by coming on this retreat.

Speaker 1: 5:46

Apparently, jesus is not here to just use us. Apparently, he actually wants us, he wants to hang out with us, he wants to be with us. He wants to be with us. He wants to be with us. He wants to be with us. So he took his disciples on a retreat. They left by boat for a quiet place when they could be alone. But many people recognized him and saw them leaving and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them and, just like that, jesus' own retreat went to hell At the last minute.

Speaker 1: 6:25

I know what that's like too. This was supposed to be a quiet place, this was supposed to be restful. Instead, a huge crowd shows up uninvited. They didn't even register, they didn't even check in, they just crashed the party. How impolite, how inconsiderate, how unchristian of them. We're like that crowd. We could have been polite, but we're past that. The needs are too great, there's too much at stake, we're desperate, and that's the best way to come. That is the retreat that Jesus ended up leading, and when he looks at this crowd of needy people, how does he feel as he looks at this crowd that is aggressively throwing aside social conventions because they are absolutely unable to go on without him, so undignified, how does he feel?

Speaker 1: 7:32

The Bible says he had compassion on them and he has compassion on us. He has compassion on you. He says they were like sheep without a shepherd. You know, sheep are kind of gross. They're dirty. I don't have a sense of smell, but I hear they smell bad. They're kind of dumb. They don't have claws or sharp teeth. They're not fast. They can't protect themselves. They are one big bundle of needs, just like us. They can't survive on their own. They're hopeless and helpless without a shepherd.

Speaker 1: 8:18

That's how Jesus sees us at one level. At one level it's not very Complimentary, you know we're like sheep, but he's the good shepherd that lays down his life for the sheep, because his sheep are sons, and especially for those of you who are dads, when your son has a need, how do you feel toward him? Your heart goes out to him, you feel compassion, and that's Jesus with us. He's not annoyed, he's not frustrated or fed up, he's not disappointed by how many times he has to meet our needs again, because nothing is too much for Jesus, no one is too much for Jesus. No one is too much for Jesus, and when a huge crowd completely interrupts his retreat, he goes with it. He might be the most interruptible person of all time. So he began teaching them many things. You are not an unwelcome interruption. When you interrupt whatever you think Jesus is doing, he's like going with it. He's here for it. He's going to teach you something in the middle of it. So it says he began teaching them many things.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said this is a remote place, it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to nearby villages and farms and buy something to eat. The disciples see too many people, too many needs, not enough daylight, not enough food, not enough money. Jesus is not worried, though. It says. Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass.

Speaker 1: 10:04

This is the part of the text that just blew my mind. I was like whoa, whoa, and some of you were like why is that mind-blowing? Well, I used to read the bible in the original language and when I was reading it in greek, that word green, stuck out like a sore thumb. It's the word chloros, like chlorophyll, makes plants green. I mean, guys, if it's grass, it's probably green. We don't need to know that it's green grass, right? Why is Mark talking about the color of something? That's very strange in the Bible and in the Gospels.

Speaker 1: 10:39

Well, let's think about this. The people are lying down in green grass, they're beside quiet waters. They're like sheep without a shepherd. This is Psalm 23. Jesus is saying I am your shepherd, he's the Lord, and with him there is always more than enough. There is always more than enough. There's enough for you. The green grass is abundance. You're safe. The quiet waters are not going to sweep you away. It's going to be okay. Jesus is revealing his true identity as the true shepherd of Psalm 23.

Speaker 1: 11:21

The disciples have five pieces of bread and two fish and somehow they have everything they need. Somehow. With Jesus, it's enough. And however much you have, he can work with that. However much self-awareness you have, it's okay, he can work with you. However much sexual sobriety you have, he can work with you. However much sexual sobriety you have, he can work with that. However much marital satisfaction you have, he can work with it. However much money you have to spend on recovery things, he can work with it. However much love you have for him, even if it's this much, he can work with it. However much you believe in him or don't believe in him, he can work with it. However much you're committed to this Christian life, or maybe sometimes you want to throw it all away, he can work with it. However good or bad you feel about yourself, he can work with it. You might have this much of what you think you need, and it's enough with Jesus.

Speaker 1: 12:27

So the disciples discover that the needs of all these people are not too much for Jesus. But that same night they don't get to lie down in green pastures, they don't get to rest by quiet waters. They go away in the boat in the middle of the lake and they find themselves in raging waters with no land in sight. Now they are like sheep without a shepherd. Oh, it's nice to believe that he can do things for other people, but when I'm in the middle of my storm, what then, jesus? Where the hell are you? Because I'm in raging waters and there's no land in sight. This is chaos. I have no certainty. I have no sense of safety. His disciples are even more desperate than the crowds.

Speaker 1: 13:17

And at that moment Jesus is having his own little retreat up on the hillside. He's like oh, finally, now I get to go be with the Father, you know. Yet he continues to be infinitely interruptible. He sees them somehow from miles away. He sees that they are in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and the waves. My friend Jesus sees you straining and struggling against the wind and the waves of your sexuality, against the wind and the waves of the chaos in your life. He knows how big this is for you and he is coming toward you, just like he came toward the disciples walking on water. He's not distant, he's present. Apparently he intended to walk past the disciples, which is interesting. Why would he do that? I actually don't know, but I assume he must have had a level of confidence that they were going to make it, even if they couldn't sense his presence. He was still there in the middle of the storm and he is with you now. His words to the disciples are his words to you Don't be afraid, take courage, I am here.

Speaker 1: 15:01

After Jesus climbed in the boat and the wind stopped, the disciples were totally amazed, for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. I scratched my head about that for a while. What's the significance of the miracle of the loaves? I scratched my head about that for a while. What's the significance of the miracle of the loaves? And why does that have something to do with the storm?

Speaker 1: 15:20

Well, jesus is the true shepherd of Psalm 23. And whatever you're going through, if it's a desert of scarcity and you feel like you don't have what you need, or there's chaos and storms unfolding around you, the Lord is your shepherd. I want to share a paraphrase of Psalm 23 with you that was written by Dallas Willard the Lord is my shepherd. I have life without lack In his green pastures. I've eaten my fill, so I lie down At his still waters. My thirst is satisfied. He heals and reintegrates my broken depths in his eternal life, so I can walk in paths of righteousness on his behalf. Even though I go through loss, hunger, disease, aging and death, I will fear no evil because you, jesus, are with me. Your strong rod and protective staff put me at liberty. Your abundant provision is a feast for me, so I'm happy to share with my enemies. This is my favorite part and the part that I really want you to hear. You give me hot showers and warm, fluffy towels, joyful experiences and deep relationships to make me feel clean, special and powerful. Clean, special and powerful. My cup runs over so I can be generous without ever running out. Surely, this world is a perfectly safe place for me to be, because I dwell and abide with God in the fullness of his life and kingdom forever. That's life without lack. That's the significance there is enough and you are enough, even in the most dire circumstances.

Speaker 1: 17:20

This story ends the way it began, with a crowd of desperate people who ran throughout the whole area carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was, wherever he went in villages, cities or the countryside. They brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed. Here's what I want you to take away from that. Begging does not bother Jesus. If you want healing and freedom, now is not the time to be polite or to present a polished Christian front. Now is the time to be desperate. If you're in a storm, if you want healing, he can handle you, he can work with you.

Speaker 1: 18:10

You might say to yourself. I'm too weak, I'm not strong enough. I'm too sinful. I'm not good enough. I'm too feminine. I'm not masculine enough. I'm too emotional. I'm not stable enough. I'm too far behind. I'm not successful enough. I'm too fat. I'm not fit enough. I'm too thin. I'm not successful enough. I'm too fat. I'm not fit enough. I'm too thin. I'm not muscular enough. I'm too ugly. I'm not attractive enough. I'm too awkward. I'm not cool enough. I'm too old. I'm not young enough. I'm too young. I'm not old enough. I'm too much and not enough.

Speaker 1: 18:45

Whatever qualities you feel you lack, however much you have is enough when you're with Jesus and a crowd of people gathering around him. He's got the time for you, he's got the space for you. He's got the grace for you. Whatever storm you're facing right now, whatever you're going through, is not too much for him. He is the good shepherd and he wants you exactly as you are right now the imperfect you, the authentic you, the needy you. You are not too much because you are God's beloved son. Because you are God's beloved son and in you he is well pleased, amen. Thank you so much for listening to this recording.

Speaker 1: 19:39

If you would like to join us live at a Husband Material Retreat. We have two opportunities for you in 2026. In the spring, the Husband Material Retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains will take place in late April. And in the fall, the Husband Material Retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains will take place in late April. And in the fall, the Husband Material Retreat in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado will take place in late September. You can learn more and register now to get a discount at husbandmaterialcom slash retreat. Always remember you are God's beloved son. In you he is well-pleased.