When We Follow Jesus...
The Gospel of John
John 6:1-13; Matthew 14:13-21
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - September 28, 2016
(Revised August 5, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 6. Tonight, we will study the Lord's great miracle of feeding the 5,000. But before we begin, there are some interesting things to notice about how the Holy Spirit put the New Testament together.
*The Bible is the one and only inspired, infallible Word of God. Human authors were led by God's Spirit to write exactly what they wrote. Peter confirmed this truth in 2 Peter 1:20-21, where he said that we should be:
20. knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21. for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
*God's Holy Spirit wrote this Book, and it's interesting to see how He put the pieces together. For example, there's a time gap in John's Gospel between the end of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6. John simply described this gap in vs. 1 by saying, "AFTER THESE THINGS Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias."
*We don't know exactly how long the time gap was, but it must have been months, because all of the events in John 1-4 took place in the Lord's first year of ministry, the healing miracle in John 5 took place at the beginning of the second year, and here in John 6, we are near the beginning of the third year. (1)
*That's pretty amazing to me. Why did the Holy Spirit skip over that time gap? God knows! Praise the Lord.
*There is a similar gap in Matthew's Gospel. This gap is in Matthew 4, and it's between vs. 11 and 12. Verse 11 took place at the end of the Lord's temptation and says, "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Then vs. 12 says, "Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee."
*The gap between those verses is almost a year long. The Holy Spirit led Matthew to leave out almost the whole first year of the Lord's ministry. Then decades later, God led John to fill in the gap by writing John 1-4. Praise the Lord for that too! (2)
*Another interesting thing to notice here is that this feeding of the 5,000 and the Lord's resurrection are the only two miracles recorded in all four Gospels. The resurrection is understandable. But of all the Lord's other wonderful miracles, this is the only one in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13). Why did the Holy Spirit do that? God surely knows!
*And there is a remarkable variety in the four Gospels. Matthew starts with the Lord's birth. Mark starts with the Lord's baptism. Luke starts with John the Baptist's birth and tells us more about Jesus' birth. John starts before the creation of the universe! To sum it up, yes, there is a glorious harmony among the four Gospels but there is also an interesting variety that would be missing, if these books were written by mere men.
*With that background in mind, let's read about Jesus miraculously feeding thousands of people. This miracle can help us be better followers of Jesus Christ. So, please think about that as we read John 6:1-13.
MESSAGE:
*Some of us here tonight have been following the Lord for 50 years or more, and no doubt, you have learned a lot along the way. But as long as we are in this world, there is always more to learn. And tonight's Scripture teaches us a whole lot about following the Lord.
1. FIRST: WHEN WE FOLLOW JESUS, HE WILL STRETCH US.
*Jesus will stretch our faith. That's what the Lord did to Philip in tonight's Scripture. And we can see the stretch in vs. 1-7:
1. After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
2. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
3. And Jesus went up on a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.
5. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?''
6. But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.''
*Jesus asked Philip that question in vs. 5 for one reason: The Lord wanted to "prove" Philip. Jesus wanted to "test" or "examine" Philip, and Christians: The Lord will do the same thing to us.
*Why does the Lord do that? It's not to condemn us or to give us a failing grade. The Lord tests us to help us see where we are, so we can move ahead and grow. Jesus wasn't trying to trick or embarrass Philip. He was testing Philip to stretch his faith.
*And notice that the tests can be hard. Jesus asked Philip to do a hard thing. He wasn't asking Philip to go buy a couple of Big Macs and fries! No. This was a huge crowd of people: 5,000 men and possibly another 10,000 women and children.
*Matthew's Gospel makes it clear that Jesus was asking the disciples to provide food for all of those people. Here's what happened in Matthew 14:13-17:
13. When Jesus heard it (i.e. when Jesus heard about John the Baptist's death), He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.
14. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
15. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.''
16. But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.''
17. And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish.''
*Jesus was asking them to do an incredibly hard thing, really, an impossible thing. And, as if the Lord didn't already know it, Philip pointed this fact out to Jesus in vs. 7. "Philip answered Him, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.'''
*We need to know that a denarius was the main silver coin of the Roman Empire, and it was roughly equal to the pay for a day's labor. So 200 denarii was the pay for 200 days of work. In other words: More than six months' wages wasn't enough to feed that crowd, with even a little bit of food! Why did Jesus ask Philip to do such a hard thing? Why does He ask us to do hard things?
*A struggling Christian once asked me, "Why does life have to be so hard? God could make it easy for us if He wanted to." Of course, the main reason why life can be hard is because we live in a lost and dying world. It's a fallen, sin-sick world.
*But as I thought about that question and this Scripture, I can see another good reason why God asks His people to do hard things. It's because He is making something beautiful and wonderful out of our lives.
*It's a little like cooking. I can microwave a bowl of grits, and I make a great peanut butter sandwich. That's easy, and I even like the taste. But there's nothing really special about that. Then, I think of a great Thanksgiving Dinner with maybe a fried turkey and sweet potato casserole and that cranberry salad Mary makes and dressing and rice and gravy and apple or pecan pie. That's a feast fit for a king! But it's hard to make.
*Well, God's not making a peanut butter sandwich out of our lives. He is turning us into something beyond our wildest dreams! But that's hard. And so we will be tested, just like Philip.
*Also notice that the hardest tests can come when you take on responsibility for other people. Ask any parent, and they will tell you that's true. Jesus wasn't just asking Philip to feed himself. He was asking him to take on the responsibility for a whole lot of other people.
*And the Lord wants us to do the same kind of thing. It probably won't be 5,000 but it could easily be 5. Christians: Do you think the Lord wants you just looking out for yourself? -- No way! But one of the blessings of helping other people is that it also helps us. It helps turn us into the people God wants us to be.
2. WHEN WE FOLLOW JESUS, HE WILL STRETCH US. AND HE WILL SHOW US.
*Jesus will show us great things. And there is an amazing, miraculous blessing for us to see in this story. Jesus took a little boy's lunch, and multiplied it to bless thousands of people.
*In 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 small fish, but what are they among so many?''
10. Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down.'' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
*Now we will probably never see a miracle exactly like that. But all good things are possible with God! And God is still in the miracle working business today.
*How many of us here tonight have seen a miracle take place in someone we know? If you have, raise your hand for a second. Many hands went up. And that doesn't count the greatest miracle of all.
*If you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you have the miracle of your sins forgiven and a home in Heaven. Christians: We have the miracle of everlasting life! So God is still in the miracle working business today.
[1] BUT NOTICE WHAT THIS MIRACLE TOOK. FIRST: IT TOOK THE RIGHT OUTLOOK.
*Andrew was starting to get the right outlook here in vs. 8-9:
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 small fish, but what are they among so many?''
*Andrew saw an opportunity. He wasn't sure it could work, but his eyes were opening up to the possibility. Most of us need a better a better outlook on life. We need to see more with the eyes of faith. We need to open up to the possibilities of what God can do in our lives, our families, and our church. Then we will see more miracles of God's multiplication. And Jesus wants to show us great things!
[2] BUT IT TAKES THE RIGHT OUTLOOK. AND IT TAKES THE RIGHT OFFERINGS.
*Andrew reminds us of this truth in vs. 9, where he said, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. . ." This amazing miracle of feeding thousands all flowed out of a little boy's willingness to give up his lunch!
*Lots of children aren't willing to do that. Lots of adults aren't either. But that little boy gave what he could, and it made a miraculous difference in this world.
*The little boy gave what he could, and that's all God asks of us. Give what we can of our time, our talent and our money. Give what we can. And just a little bit can make a huge difference, just as it did here. God can do a lot with a little!
*Nancy Cornice remembered as a child hearing the tap-tap of a cane on the sidewalk. It was a very old man who walked the streets back home. He was bent from the years and clutched a cane.
*This old man had an unusual custom as he roamed the streets of her small town. Whenever he saw a child, he would stop and give them a picture of Jesus. Then he would go on his way, never speaking a word.
*It doesn't seem like a big deal, but this small act of kindness made a world of difference to Nancy. Over 40 years later, she still had the picture he gave her. It was a picture of Jesus surrounded by a flock of sheep, and on the back in a shaky hand was written the words of the 23rd Psalm.
*Nancy said, "In his own way he was planting tiny seeds of faith in the children on his street. His faithful commitment helped fashion a stone in the foundation of my own faith." (3)
*This old man knew that the Lord can take the even the small things we do and multiply them in miraculous ways. And Jesus wants to show us great things!
[3] BUT IT TAKES THE RIGHT OFFERINGS. IT ALSO TAKES THE RIGHT ORGANIZATION.
*The Lord teaches us this truth in vs. 10, where "Jesus said, 'Make the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand."
*Mark 6:40 tells us that this huge group "sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties." Imagine the chaos that could have taken place in a hungry unorganized mob. There could have been a riot.
*And organization isn't very glamorous, but here it turned a mob into a miracle. And we've got to be organized as a church. That's one reason why Sunday School is so vital to the life of God's church.
*Jesus wants us to be organized. That's why we also have an organized choir. And that's why we need many volunteers for things like Upward, Orange, the nursery, Children's Church, and the committees that work behind the scenes. Much, much more gets done for God's Church when we get organized. And Jesus wants to show us great things!
[4] BUT IT TAKES THE RIGHT ORGANIZATION. AND IT TAKES THE RIGHT OBEDIENCE.
*Please look again vs. 10-11:
10. Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down.'' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
*These miraculous blessings happened because the disciples and the people obeyed Jesus. The crowd obeyed by sitting in groups. The little boy obeyed by giving his lunch. And the disciples obeyed by serving the people.
*And this great miracle would not have happened, if any of these three had refused to obey. What if the crowd refused to stay? What if the little boy refused to share his lunch? And what if the disciples refused to serve? Our obedience is extremely important when it comes to the big things Jesus wants to do in our lives. And Jesus wants to show us great things!
[5] BUT IT TAKES THE RIGHT OBEDIENCE. AND MOST OF ALL, IT TAKES THE OMNIPOTENCE OF JESUS CHRIST!
*We can see the Lord's infinite power in vs. 11. There "Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted."
*By ourselves, we can't, but Jesus can! David Washburn gave this great explanation: "When I hold a basketball in my hands, it's merely a basketball. But when you place that same basketball in the hands of a Michael Jordan, it turns into collegiate and professional championships.
*Put a golf club in any of our hands, and it's merely a golf club. But when you place that same golf club in the hands of an Arnold Palmer or a Tiger Woods, it turns him into the best golfer in the world.
*A paintbrush in my hands might result in a pretty good picture, -- if it's paint by numbers. But when a paintbrush was placed in the hands of Michelangelo or Renoir, it turned into incredible works of art.
*A gun placed in the hands of a hunter is a tool used for sport or obtaining food. But when placed in the hands of a terrorist, that same gun becomes a weapon of destruction.
*How is it that the same instruments and the same tools can bring about such different results? Quite simply, it depends upon who is holding them." And Church: When we put our lives in Jesus' Hands, He can do miraculous things through us! (4)
3. WHEN WE FOLLOW JESUS, HE WILL SHOW US GREAT THINGS. AND HE WILL SUPPLY US.
*Jesus Christ will supply every need we ever have in life! The Lord took good care of these people, and He will take good care of us! In fact, He already is! God is taking good care of us! Every breath we have is a gift from Him.
*In tonight's Scripture, Jesus is taking care of people in a miraculous way. And it's important to know that that this miracle grew out of the Lord's compassion. Mark 6:34 says: "And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things." Jesus Christ really loves us with all His heart. He proved it here, and He proved it forever when He died on the cross for our sins.
*The Lord gave these people everything they needed, and more. Verses 11-13 tell us that:
11. . . Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
12. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.''
13. Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
*The Lord gave them more than enough! And they were satisfied by this physical bread. But we know that the most satisfying Bread is Jesus Himself.
*He tells us this down in vs. 35-40, where:
35. . . Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
36. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
37. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
38. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.''
*Jesus can say these things because He did die on the cross for our sins, and rose again forever! So Romans 8:31-32 asks:
31. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
*Jesus Christ will supply every need we ever have in life! Luther Bridgers knew that. Luther was born in North Carolina on Valentine's Day in 1884. And He died in Atlanta in 1948, at the age of 64.
*Luther began preaching when he was only 17 years old. He served as a pastor and evangelist in the South, but he also did mission work over in Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Russia.
*Luther was also a song writer, and he wrote one of our favorite hymns. It's a song we sang earlier tonight. And it was meant to be sung with great joy, but this song was written in a time of great tragedy.
*Luther came home from an evangelistic meeting to find that his wife and four children had died in a fire that destroyed their family home. Sometime later, Luther sat on the stone doorstep of that burnt out home and wrote these words:
"There's within my heart a melody Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still, In all of life's ebb and flow.
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife, Discord filled my heart with pain;
Jesus swept across the broken strings; Stirred the slumbering chords again.
Though sometimes he leads through waters deep, Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep, See his footprints all the way.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. -- Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing, Keeps me singing as I go." (5)
CONCLUSION:
*What a great testimony of God's bountiful supply! And that is our testimony, if we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
*So put your trust in the Lord, and begin to follow Jesus.
-Yes, He will stretch us.
-But Jesus will also show us great things.
-And He will supply us with every need we ever have in life!
*Would you please bow for prayer.
(1) Sources:
-JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D.D. - 1697-1771 - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - John 6
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "The Son of God's Third Year of Ministry: Galilee - Chap. 6" - John 6:1-15
(2) BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Copyright 1995 - "Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry" - Matthew 4:12-17
(3) Nancy M. Cornish, UPPER ROOM, March-April 1991, p. 39 - Source: David Holwick illustration #2827 from "Dynamic Preaching" Disk - Page: Fourth Sunday in July 1993 - DATE: 6/1/1993 - ENTERED: 9/13/1994 - TYPIST: David Holwick
(4) SermonCentral sermon "In the Hands of God" by David Washburn - John 6:1-13
(5) Sources:
Sermons.com sermon "Name Above Every Name" by Leonard Mann - Luke 2:21
http://nethymnal.org/htm/h/k/hkeepsme.htm
http://nethymnal.org/bio/b/r/i/bridgers_lb.htm
