Spud Web Video
Explain how absurd and outrageous it is for Spud Web to win the dunk contest by using a volunteer to try to jump as high as Spud Web.
It was amazing what a basketball could do when it was put into Spud Web’s hands. When I hold this football in my hands, it’s merely a football, but if this football where in the hands of Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning, it has a lot more potentials. Put a golf club in any of my hands, and it’s merely a golf club, but when you place that same golf club in the hands of Phil Mickelson, it becomes a golf clubs that can accomplish a lot more.
KEY:
How is it that the same instruments and the same tools can bring about such different results?
KEY:
Quite simply, potential depends upon who is holding it and how it’s being used.
We’ve launched a series where we’re going to look at the absurd and outrageous commands God made – commands that at the beginning seems ludicrous, but at the end, they led to saved lives and restored relationships.
An absurd and outrageous command is a ridiculously unreasonable command that exceeds the limits of what is usual…folks, that’s the kind of Savior we have.
So, here’s the approach – each week, a different story from the Bible is being told. Each story reveals a command from God. Out of these commands, our faith is challenged – our understanding of God is challenge – our approach to life is challenged.
Today’s absurd and outrageous command: Feed everyone.
Open up to John 6…either look in the table of contents (which is totally okay) or stick your thumb in the middle of your Bible and going to the right. You’ll run into a book called “John”.
As you’re turning, let me give you some back-story:
o Jesus has obviously been born…grown up…and is now a man.
o Jesus has gathering 12 guys that He can teach…He calls them “Disciples or Students”.
o Jesus had been going everywhere He can to teach and His disciples have joined Him.
o For this story, Jesus has been doing miracles and teaching…and, He and the disciples get hungry.
Now, lets read the first part of John 6 where we pick up the command: Feed everyone.
Read John 6:1-13 (NIV)
This morning’s scripture passage is an excellent example of what can happen and how things can be used when we place them in the hands of God. The scene is a grassy meadow near Bethsaida – right by the sea. Jesus has been preaching and healing the sick much of the day. He has retreated in order to get some rest and recharge his batteries, but when he looks up, the crowd has followed him. He turns to Philip, because this is Philip’s old stomping ground, “Where can we buy bread for these people?” Somewhat confused that Jesus wouldn’t recognize an obvious problem Philip replies, “Don’t you understand that it would take more than 8 months’ wages to buy bread for all these people.” He knew that Jesus was kind and thoughtful, but even for Jesus, this was out there. All of a sudden Andrew shows up, “Hey guys, there’s a little boy here who has 5 barley loaves and two fish.”
I’ve often wandered what it must’ve been like to be that little boy?
When he got up that morning, he was probably planning to spend the day fishing or playing with his friends. As he’s on his way out the door, his mother hollers to him, “Did you pack a lunch?”
“Aaawww, Mom.” “Get back in here right now, young man. You know you can’t be out all day and not have anything with you to eat. You just sit right there while I make you some lunch.” She pulls out the little lunch basket, and prepares him a lunch of five loaves and two fish.
These loaves of bread were not your top of the line sour dough loaves of bread. They were barley loaves, which was the cheapest of all breads. This type of bread, at that time, was almost “cracker like”…several “loaves” would be eaten at one meal (i.e. 5 loaves of bread for one boy)
His fish wasn’t salmon or tuna. The best way to describe these fish is they were sardines. Now I know the text says that the boy had 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, but to help the significance of this miracle stick in your mind, I want to ask you to imagine that the barley loaves and the fish have been put together, so that what in essence the boy has in his lunch box, is a sardine sandwich.
On his way to meet his buddies, he sees this large crowd gathering, and he asks, “What’s going on?” “See that guy up there? That’s Jesus of Nazareth. He is an incredible teacher, and he can heal people. We all want to hear him preach and see him heal people.”
Intrigued, the young boy forgets about meeting up with his friends, and he begins to listen to Jesus preach. He becomes enthralled with his teachings about the kingdom of God and love and forgiveness, and he can hardly contain himself as Jesus makes the blind see and enables the lame to walk. He ends up spending the whole day listening to Jesus, and when Jesus retreats, he joins the crowd and follows him.
It’s getting late in the day, and as they stand in a large group in front of Jesus, the disciples start walking through the crowd. The boy feels a tug on his arm and turns around to hear Andrew ask him, “What is it that you have there?” “Oh, nothing.” “Come here, let me see,” and Andrew grabs the boy’s pail. After looking inside, he says, “Come with me.”
The little boy can hardly contain himself as he walks with Andrew to the very front of the crowd where Jesus is sitting. He’s excited yet shy as Andrew says, “Jesus, this young boy has 5 barley loaves and two fish.” The boy watches in amazement as Jesus takes his lunch- his stinky, old, unappreciated barley loaves and sardines- and turns it into lunch for 5,000 people. He can hardly wait to get home and tell his mother what happened. But, what would he tell her? What’s the significance of Jesus taking 5 barley loaves and two fish and feeding 5,000+ people?
KEY:
The significance is that it illustrates for us what can happen
when we place ourselves in the hands of God.
Jesus knew before Philip asked Him that there was a need for food and there wasn’t enough food to meet the need. God didn’t expect that boy (or anyone for that matter) to have enough to feed the 5,000.
KEY:
Jesus only expected the boy to place the food in his hands and then leave the rest up to Him.
You wanna know why? This is important:
KEY:
God’s work, done God’s way, never lacks God’s supply.
We sometimes get caught up in wanting God to be like a “Genie” where we get something from nothing.
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God wants us to be invested.
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He wants our hearts to be a part of the solution.
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God wants our faith in Him to come alive.
I want us to look at this in a simple format. The Bible communicates that we can bring 3 indicators of our faith becoming alive:
o Time
o Talent
o Treasure
You can put your TIME in God’s hands.
You can put your TALENT in God’s hands.
You can put your TREASURE in God’s hands.
I think most of us understand this pretty quickly. The most valuable possessions (if I can call it that) is your TIME, your TALENT, and your TREASURE.
But this story isn’t highlighting those…sure, it mentions the bread and the fish. But, I don’t believe that to be the crux of the story – the point of the story is a lesson for us…
KEY:
God didn’t ask you to take care of the world with what you have;
He asked you to give what you have and let Him multiply it to make the difference.
Let me give you a snapshot, based on this story, of what happens when you put what you’ve got in His hands.
When you give your Time, Talent, and Treasure to God:
You’ll face your unbelief.
Lets just expose the reality right off the bat. When you start living your life with God as the center, there will be moment and circumstances that will make you wonder, “What can God do with this?” You’ll look at your TIME – You’ll look at your TALENT – You’ll look at your TREASURE…and your belief in God will face opposition. The face of the matter is…
KEY:
You may be your own opposition.
Look at Philips words:
John 6:7 (NIV)
“Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite.”
Philip used an absurd example of using 8 months of pay to feed people 1 bite of food each. The idea of feeding a crowd that size was absurd to Philip…and I’m sure he wasn’t the only one thinking it.
Look at it this way. Philip had already physically seen Jesus:
o Turn water into wine
o Heal a young boy who was in a different town
o Heal a blind, lame, and paralyzed man (been that way for 38 years)
All that, and Philip didn’t think that Jesus could make a large meal happen with 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish.
Now, don’t get too down on Philip. Have you ever started with the negative? Have you ever declined an opportunity before the opportunity ever came simply because you didn’t think it was possible.
KEY:
Have you ever declined a miracle because you or someone thought it was impossible?
If we give into out doubts or the doubts of others, we might be refusing miracles in the lives of thousands of people.
I think we’re all guilty. I believe each one of us has at least one moment where we simply didn’t think God would do anything. Let me encourage you to think in the opposite direction – expect God to be capable of the impossible. Here’s His take on what you and I think is impossible.
Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
There’s a story in Mark where a young boy was demon-possessed, so his father brought Him to Jesus. Jesus looked at the father and said:
Mark 9:21-23 (NIV)
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”
“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
So, what do you do when you have unbelief?
The father says a great thing to Jesus…a statement that I encourage you to memorize:
Mark 9:24 (NIV)
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Do you have trouble believing sometimes? Ask God to help you with you your unbelief. When you start handing over your TIME, TALENT, and TREASURES to God…you’ll have opposition.
KEY:
Don’t let your doubts or the doubts of others stop you from believing that God can turn 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread into a filling meal for over 5,000 people.
Here’s something that so important…it’s something that has always helped me see God:
God’s Math
5 + 2 x God = Food for 5,000 + with a remainder of 12
Satan’s Math
5 + 2 Satan = Food for 1 boy
KEY:
God likes multiplication. Satan likes division.
Don’t let your doubts or the doubts of others stop you from believing that God can do the impossible.
When you give your Time, Talent, and Treasure to God:
You’ll see miracles.
And, miracles impact people. However, our challenge will be not to overlook them.
KEY:
The resources for a miracle are always present.
We say this all the time:
You have all the TIME, TALENTS, and TREASURE to do what God wants you to do.
KEY:
God didn’t ask you to take care of the world with what you have;
He asked you to give what you have and let Him multiply it to make the difference.
APPLICATION QUESTION:
What do you have, that if you put it in God’s hands, miracles could happen?
o Your job
o Your child
o Your marriage
o Your uncertainty
o Your pain
o Your dreams
KEY:
It starts with your putting your life in His hands
