Introduction:
I. In last Sunday’s message we looked at the fact that Jesus did not, in all situations, help every person he came into contact with.
II. My points in that message,
A. First - Sometimes we have to look past the multitude, and focus on the individual, or a smaller group.
B. Second - We have to get rid of the excuses we may have for not being involved someplace, and get up and walk.
C. Third - We must follow up on what we have begun.
III. In an effort to be, as Fox new channel claims, “Fair and Balanced” this week we look at how much Jesus and the disciples accomplished, with only a fraction of what was needed.
A. This week we move to John, chapter 6, beginning with verse one.
B. John states 5,000 hungry men have come to Christ,
IV. How much of an impression did the feeding of the 5,000 make on the gospel writers; consider this.
A. A “harmony of the Gospels” takes every story in the gospels, and will tell you what other gospel writer wrote about it, and where.
B. If you take a harmony of the gospel’s and look for places where all four writers tell the story, there is only one story found in all four, this one.
V. Now all four gospel writers tell this same story, however they also emphasize different components of the story.
A. Matthew states 5,000 men, along with women and children were coming.
1. I suppose that would be what, ten, maybe fifteen thousand or more that Jesus wanted to feed.
B. Mark and Luke state that Jesus instructed that the large group be broken down in smaller groups of about 50 to 100.
C. Although John is the only writer to state the loaves and fish were procured from a small boy, all four agree that the available food was 5 loaves of bread and two fish.
VI. All four writers also agree that if they depended only on the physical, there was no way they could take care of everyone.
VII. All four also agree that, with dependence on Christ, there was more than enough to handle whatever He asks you to do.
VIII. Perhaps we do sometimes need to look past the crowd and focus on the one.
IX. Perhaps we do need to stop making excuses for what we can’t do, and get up and walk.
X. Always we need to follow-up on what we begin, but here is another good rule for walking through life with God, “Where God Directs, There Will Always Be Enough”
See the Problem With Christ Eyes (vs. 1-7)
6:1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 And a great multitude was following Him, because they were seeing the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Jesus therefore lifting up His eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 And this He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”
I. As John relates this incident, it appears that Jesus and the disciples are just sitting around on the side of a hill.
A. But if we were to take all four passages and place them together, this is essentially what we would see.
1. John the Baptist has just been killed,
2. The disciples have just returned from a preaching ministry Jesus had sent them on.
3. A feast is at hand, and people are everywhere, to the point that not even the disciples can eat.
4. Jesus leads the disciples on a retreat in order to get some much needed rest, but the crowds recognize these 13 men, follow them, and Jesus has just spent the day teaching and healing.
B. Now evening is coming, and the disciples say, “Send these crowds away, so they can find food and lodging for themselves.
II. If these verses don’t sound like a church finance meeting, I don’t know what does.
III. Look Jesus’ question in verse 5 “Where are we to buy bread, that these (people) may eat?”
A. It is logical that Jesus would direct his question to Philip, since Philip was originally from that area.
B. But I draw our attention to the question, because it is so much like when Jesus asked the paralytic if he wanted to get well.
1. Jesus didn’t say,
a. “do we have enough money to buy bread?” or
b. “Take the purse and go buy some food!” or even
c. “Take up a collection and go buy some food.”
2. Jesus said, “Hey Philip. Where’s the closest Shoprite? We need to buy some food.”
IV. Do you want to get well? Then get up and walk.
V. Do you want to be like Christ, then we must learn to listen to the Word of God.
A. I believe one of the reasons that so many Christians, and so many churches are not as effective or happy as they could be, is because we don’t really listen to what God is saying to us.
B. As churches, we come with our preconceived ideas of
1. What church should look like
2. What ministries should be there,
3. What outreach should look like,
4. In other words, without even listening to the Word of God, we decide the concerns of God with worldly yes.
C. Christ did not say,
1. How are we going to pay for the food that is needed or
2. Where will the money come from.
D. He said, “Where are we going to buy enough food, that everyone can eat?”
VI. Philip looked at the question with earth bound eyes.
A. One denarii is basically equivalent to one days wage.
B. Philips answer, “Even if we had 200 days worth of money, we couldn’t even give everyone an appetizer.”
VII. But Christ desire was to feed the crowd.
A. Now honestly I believe His first desire was teach the disciples that “Where God Directs, God Will Provide.”
B. Why do I say that?
1. Well look at verse 6,
2. Jesus already knew how he was going to handle the situation, but I believe He also had two additional desires.
a. One was to include the disciples in His plan.
b. And second was to teach the disciples that through Him, they can accomplish so much more than they believe.
C. And I believe that is still true today.
VIII. Now the church needs their Philip’s
A. We need people to evaluate situations with a realistic eye.
B. But we also need some Andrew’s, that will say,
1. “Here is what we have” and I’m giving him the benefit of a doubt here.
2. “Here is what we have, but how can we make this stretch to meet the need?”
IX. So which one are you?
A. Honestly, I must admit that sometimes I am a Philip.
B. But I am making every effort to become more of a Andrew.
Using God’s Provision (vs. 8-11)
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 And when they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost.”13 And so they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.
I. Of all the things that Jesus did, what was it about this feeding of the 5,000 that was so impressive that it was the only miracle that all four writers put on paper?
A. Certainly the feeding of those thousands of people was incredible.
B. Yes, the feeding was a miracle which demonstrated in part God’s concern for his people.
C. But I believe more than simply the feeding of the 5,000, this miracle was about teaching the disciples how to handle God’s provision.
II. Consider, 5 barley loaves and 2 fish.
A. And don’t consider this as a large meal for even one person.
1. These fish were not like catfish or carp.
2. These were small fish,
3. And the barley loaves weren’t even like whole loaves of bread, but rather more like snack cakes.
B. This was a light meal for even one.
III. Jesus question had been how are we going to feed all these people.
A. Philip’s answer, “We can’t.”
B. Andrew’s answer, “We’ve got 5 loaves and 2 fish.”
C. Philip’s answer, “We don’t have enough.
D. Andrew’s answer, “But we do have this; how can we make it work.
Step One - Consider what you do have. (Vs. 9)
IV. When it comes to using what God has provided, even when it just comes to life, “Don’t be so worried about what you don’t have, but rather, consider what you do have.”
A. “I can’t tithe; I don’t make that much money.” The directive is God’s people should give.
B. “I can’t serve; I don’t have the gift of ....” God’s directive is serve from within your own giftedness.
C. “I can’t do that; I don’t have .... whatever”
D. All to often what we don’t have becomes and excuse for not getting up and walking, and I am not simply speaking about church here.
V. Where God Directs, God Will Provide, so the question does not concern what I can’t accomplish in life, but rather, what does God want me to do in life.
Step Two - Break The Task Into Manageable Steps (vs. 10)
VI. Matthew and John simply state that the disciples fed those that were seated, but Mark and Luke add that Jesus instructed them to sit in groups of (50 to 100)
A. Five Thousand people are a lot.
B. The entire population of Harrison Arkansas is about 10,000.
C. Fifteen thousand, and now you have a lot of people to feed, the job can seem just a bit overwhelming for 13 men, but 50 to 100, I could probably handle that.
VII. I believe one of the greatest impediments to successful living and successful serving is that the job can seem so large as to be impossible.
A. I’ll never get out of debt, so why try.
B. There’s no way to save my marriage, so I’ll just get out.
C. I can’t so I won’t.
VIII. So break the task down into bite size pieces.
A. I’ll never pay my house off, but did you know that there is a method by which if make an extra principle payment each month, you can pay your house off in about half the time.
B. Did you know that if you make a house payment every two weeks, rather than only once a month, you will cut something like 10 years off a thirty year mortgage.
C. Did you know that as a ministry, we can’t do everything, but if we focus on just doing what God has called us to do, we will be amazed at what we can do.
IX. Where God Directs, God Will Provide, but it’s up to us to make the job manageable.
Step Three - We must thank God for what we do have, and continually look to Him for provision. (Vs. 11)
X. John states that Jesus did the feeding.
A. Mark puts it this way, - “And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He KEPT giving them to the disciples to set before them,...” (6:41)
B. Luke also says that Jesus “kept giving” to the disciples. (9:16)
C. Now here is the picture,
1. They took an inventory of what was available; it was a quick job.
2. Jesus broke the job in to manageable portions,
3. Jesus gave thanks for what God provided, and them began then gave to the disciples.
4. The disciples passed out the grub, and kept returning to Jesus for more.
D. They were not content with a job half done, and they were no longer concerned about what they didn’t have, they just kept coming to Jesus to receive that which only He could provide.
XI. Last week Ron Dye shared that the camp had enough money to build a gym for the camp.
A. I sure hope they don’t get satisfied with having the walls of the gym erected, and I don’t believe they will.
B. But if they do, and they forget to come back to God to finish the job, there will be four walls erected for a great gym, BUT
1. It might be missing the basketball goals.
2. It might be missing the volleyball net.
3. It might be missing the furniture for the denominational Archive center, and the meeting rooms.
4. If they and we forget to come back to Jesus to finish the job, they might even be missing the people that the gym is being built for in the first place.
XII. Where God Directs, God Will Provide, but we better be quick to come back to Jesus to finish the job.
And finally, step four - “Don’t Squander God’s Leftovers” (vs. 12 and 13)
XIII. Everyone has been fed; everyone is satisfied, sitting back rubbing their stomachs, and the disciples are surely tired by now.
XIV. But they is one more task that Jesus instructs, “Do not allow the leftovers to go to waste.”
A. So five loaves and two fish become twelve baskets of food for future use.
B. Where God Directs, God Will Provide, and sometimes He may even provide more than expected; in fact doesn’t it say someplace, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”...
C. If God calls us to something, He will not leave us stranded, looking for a way to finish the job.
D. But just because we finish one job, does not mean that there will not be more opportunities in the future, so save what you don’t use, because tomorrow it may come in handy.
XV. Where God Directs, God Will Provide, so
A. Take stock of what you do have,
B. Break the job in to manageable sized portions,
C. Thank God for what He has already provided, and continually look to Him for future provision.
D. Don’t waste what He has already supplies.
Conclusion (vs. 14-15)
14 When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
I. When we, the people of God accept His call on our lives, and His provision for that call, we will grow in our faith, and others will begin to worship Him as well,
1. And isn’t that what we ultimately want?
2. If you open your bulletin and look at the left inside page, you will read the purpose of this church family which is to “Move People in a Measurable Way, to a Closer Relationship With Jesus Christ.
II. Whether you have been walking with God for 50 years or you haven’t even begun, there is always room for growth.
