I WANT TO START BY ASKING YOU THE SERMON TITLE
Do you give it all you’ve got?
Story about the soccer team and standing on the ball
It made me feel really stupid, as if I couldn’t play to save myself.
I just wanted people to see that I could play and had earnt my place on the 2nd 11 and at least had a chance at playing up to the 1st 11
Wow, people might have come to watch me play if I had been good enough, sadly to say I wasn’t.
Can any of you relate to those feelings?
Have you ever tried to be good enough at something so as to earn the respect of your friends?
This attitude is what stops a lot of people from coming to God and even stepping out to be used of God.
If only I was better at this particular area of my life then I could be used of God.
This is a great lie from the devil!!!! Lets read and see what the Word of God says about this
Matthew 14:15-21
Look at v15 and v16
“They don’t need to be sent away you give them something to eat”
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING JESUS THERE’S 5000 OF THEM!
Does that sound like any one you know?
You want me to do what God? No way, I could never do that.
The disciples say, “We only have 5 loaves and 2 fish”
v18 “Good bring them to me” Jesus said. He directed the people to sit down on the grass,
TAKING THE 5 LOAVES AND THE 2 FISH.
What is the important thing here? The disciples did what they were asked and gave him the fish.
When God tells you to do something, it might take you by surprise and you might even say, “you got to be kidding” but know this
If you give to God what you have even though you think it might not be enough then, God is going to take it and you will be surprised to see what you can do with what He gives back to you.
Look at v19b again.
He gave thanks and broke the loaves, then He gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people v20 They all ate and were satisfied.
The disciples were just people like you and me. They couldn’t feed 5000 people on what they had, but God certainly could. In their obedience then God used them to do the very thing that was impossible to them.
What have you missed out on because you have said NO to something that someone has asked you to do. Not only do you miss out on seeing God come through but so does the person that God had intended to bless through your obedience.
God goes on and shows the giver a powerful illustration on what He will get for doing Gods will.
Lets read v20
The disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over
What He saying here?
When you give out then there will always be enough left over for you, He will never leave you to go hungry.
When you start with little God can make up the shortfall.
God loves to use people who understand this principal.
Lets go back to another great promise shown to us at the start of this Scripture at v13-14
After you have been used of God then you have His assurance that you are now ready to be used again.
Jesus withdrew to a place of solitude, SO SHOULD WE! The people saw where he was going and ran around the lake to meet Him when he landed. We see Jesus step out of the boat and he is into another time of ministry and healing. Jesus had just come from a great time of ministry.
APPLICATION
God will always replenish your supplies from one harvest to the next. We must stay alert to where He leads us and to how He is going to use us. The only condition is that we remain open to being used and be prepared to do what He calls us to do.
Remember when I stood on my soccer ball and it was a really shameful time. What mattered was the fact that I was out on the field of play. If I hadn’t gone to play there would have always been the sure fact that, I could have never scored and would never have been used in the team.
God wants to use each one of us no matter how or what we feel about ourselves, how your game is going. Give to Him what you have and let Him use you in ways that you could never dream.
Have you said NO to God before?
Have you felt like I’ll never be good enough?
Good because that’s when God can use you, We will never be good enough but by Gods grace he enables you to do great things for Him, just give Him the opportunity.
I end with asking you the this question.
Does God create no-hopers?
Satan will try to convince you that He does but here’s the truth,
GOD DOESN’T MAKE MISTAKES!
So go ahead...give it all you’ve got
