HIS HANDS IS WHERE THE BLESSING IS FOUND
John 6:1-12
We have all thrilled to the wonder of this miracle, which is the only one recorded in all the four gospels. We know that it proclaims the provision made for the souls of men through the precious work of Christ, through the Bread that was broken for us upon the Cross, that sinners might eat and live forever.
There are many who reject the truth of the miracles
of Christ. One such individual was a Sunday School teacher who told her class of boys that Jesus never did such a miracle. "Why," she said, "He was a man like other men - more holy, no doubt, but still only a man, and He could not do anything like that. What really happened was that Jesus spoke to those thousands of people, and He was such a fluent and forceful speaker that, when He got through with His speaking, they all just felt filled; that’s how it was."
Up flew one little hand, and when the little hand was recognized, he said: "Teacher, what filled them baskets?"
It was a miracle.
THE PEOPLE THAT STIRRED THE PROBLEM THAT STAGGERED
The Lord asked the question: "Whence shall we buy
bread?"
Philip answers in verse 7 in “with what.” Philip was in a panic, but Jesus already had a plan! Let me remind you this morning that the trinity never meets in emergency session!
Philip calculated without faith
THE PROVISIONS THAT WERE SCARCE
Andrew finds a lad with five loaves and two fishes, but what is that among so many (9). Andrew speculated without faith. Neither of these disciples listened to Christ. Philip looked at the cash; Andrew looked at the crowd. Neither of them looked at Christ.
Where Philip said, "Impossible," Andrew said, "Illogical." Both of these men had made one fatal flaw; they failed to look at Christ.
That’s still the weakness in much of our Christian service.
Andrew had a weak sort of faith in Christ when he brought the lad with five small buns and two small fishes to the Lord and said, "What are they among so many?" He certainly knew that what the lad had was utterly insufficient to meet the need of five thousand men, beside women and children.
THE PERSON THAT WAS SUFFICIENT
The lad must have felt that perhaps the Lord could do something with that such a small supply. The Lord could, and He did. In fact, He could have fed that vast crowd without having anything at all, for He made the worlds out of nothing in the first place.
I have often wondered how Andrew learned of the lad’s lunch.
However, the use of this boy’s lunch illustrates that our blessed Lord wants to use what we offer Him.
The story is told of a young preacher who was preaching before a critical audience. He took this incident in the life of Christ for his text, but in his nervous excitement, lie got things twisted a little.
"Friends," said he, "I am going to speak to you this
morning on how Jesus fed five men and women on five
thousand loaves and two thousand fishes."
"That’s nothing," said a old deacon sitting on the front seat, "I can do that."
The preacher made no reply but went on with his preaching. The next Sunday, he took the same text and subject, and this time, speaking very slowly and deliberately he said, "Friends, I am going to speak to you again this morning on how our Lord fed five thousand men,
beside women and children, on five loaves and two little
fishes." And then, leaning far over the pulpit, he said to the
deacon, “Brother, can you do that, too?”
“I sure can,” came the reply.
“How?” asked the preacher with astonishment
“I can do it with what was left over from last Sunday,” came the answer from the deacon.
Well that is the way it is with us too. If we are able to do some great thing, we have to have something to do it with, but not the Lord.
He does not have to, but he does want us to take our little and give it to Him.
Now, I want us to consider tonight the little lad with the five loaves and two fishes.
Three are three things the lad could have done with his five loaves and two fishes.
I. He could delight on the loaves and fishes selfishly, but he did not!
He could have eaten them himself. He could have enjoyed them all to himself. He could have enjoyed what he had and never shared it with others.
Christians often live just for themself. We have the best well kept secret in all the world.
See Philippians 2:4.
Do not let your care and attention be wholly absorbed by your own concerns or by the concerns of your own family. Express a tender interest for the happiness of the others, and let the concern of others be in your hearts.
Someone has written: The SIX most important words "I admit I made a mistake." The FIVE most important words: "You did a good job." The FOUR most important words: "What do you think?" The THREE most important words: "After you, please." The TWO most important words: "Thank you." The ONE most important word: "We" The LEAST important word: "I" Most, if honest, would have to admit that their whole life is built around the word "I." It is all about them. Someone has said that he is a slave of the greatest slave who serves nothing but himself. You want to know who is the most miserable people in this place? It is those whose world is no bigger than themselves. Walter Cronkite, the famous news anchor, said: "Most people are good. There aren’t very many really evil people. But there are an awful lot of selfish ones." Sadly, there are a lot of selfish people in the Church. When we pray, we pray, "Our Father, which art in heaven, gimme, gimme, gimme." Selfishness and self-centeredness is a knife to the throat of the Christian life and to a Church. A Christian who only thinks about themselves, and a Church that consists of nothing more than what happens within its four walls is a spiritual dead. The man who lives only for himself is truly dead to others. A man all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package. Two boys were walking down a street together. One boy was eating an apple. The boy with no apple said to the boy with the apple, "If I had an apple, I would give it to you." The boy with the apple said, "Then what are you griping about--I have it, don’t I?"
II He could distribute the loaves and fishes singularly, but he did not! If he had done this at the most on only two or three people would have had a small bite. We may dispense the blessing, but only He can give the blessing. May people remain hungry because that which is offered comes from any place other than His hand. How often we believers attempt to serve the Lord in our own strength and accomplish so little. The Lord distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them. God is pleased to use human instruments in accomplishing His work but it must all begin with His hand. His was the increase, but theirs was the distribution only after He had it in His hands. What a lesson is here for the Christian servant! The disciples first received the bread from the hands of their Master, and then "distributed" to the multitude. It was not their hands which made the loaves increase but in His! The lad may have provided loaves and fishes, but the Lord was needed to bless it. How often do we try to minister the Word of God in our own strength, counting on our own resources instead of His, and as a result, we accomplish so little.
III. He could deliver the loaves and fishes to Sovereignty, and he did! I cannot help but imagine that lad overheard
the disciples talking and offered to give his lunch to the Lord.
Where the disciples saw a lack, he saw the Lord; where they saw a multitude, he saw a miracle; where they saw a crowd, he saw Christ.
Anything that you transfer to Jesus can be transformed by Jesus. What that little boy had was valuable because it was available.
I heard about a little boy who got into a heated argument with his sister about who was going to get the last brownie, and his mother overheard this discussion and came in to try to resolve the fuss.
Her two children, both extremely upset, both of them wanted that last brownie. So sensing the opportunity to teach a deeper spiritual truth, the mother looked at her children and asked that very relevant question..."What would Jesus do?"
Well that little boy immediately answered, "That’s easy. Jesus would just break that brownie and make 5,000 more!"
The loaves and fishes were multiplied when given to the Lord, and it fed perhaps 10,000 souls, with more left over than was at the beginning.
If we would only deposit what we have fully at His disposal, He would soon work the miracle and the multiplication.
The history of the Church is filled with stories of men and women who have brought their little to the Lord, and He has done His great work of multiplication which has resulted in the salvation and blessing of multitudes
Do you say, “I have so little to give Him”? Well, place yourself and your all at His feet,
It is worth our attention to notice the example of the Jesus. He looked down on the crowd and saw their need, and then He looked up to Heaven for the blessing. May we learn to do the same.
"And Jesus took the loaves" (John 6:11). He did not despise the loaves because they were few in number, nor the fish either because they were "small." God is pleased to use small and weak things that are given to Him
He used the tear of a babe to move the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter. He used the shepherd-rod of Moses to work mighty miracles in Egypt. He used David’s sling and stone to overthrow the Philistine giant. He used a "little maid" to bring the Naaman to Elisha. He used a widow with a handful of meal and a little oil to sustain Elijah.
However, it was only when these loaves and fishes were placed in the hands of Christ that they were made efficient and sufficient!
Conclusion
May we give to God what we have and allow Him to bless it as only He can.
