[0:00] Go to John chapter 6, John chapter 6, they're so quiet, yep, they're so quiet, John chapter 6, and we're beginning something new obviously because I didn't have you turn to Hebrews after how many weeks I didn't have Hebrews, I have no idea, but we finished Hebrews last week, today we're starting a new series and we're talking about the fact that all of us can be used of God, and it doesn't matter what your name is, God can use you, it doesn't matter if people know you or not, God can still use you in people's lives, you can have an influence, and today we're going to be talking about that, it's our lives should be more than a name.
[1:04] Our name is given to us at birth, and it identifies us throughout the rest of our life. We don't necessarily get to pick our name, some people go to court when they're older and get their name changed, they don't like their name and they'll go get it changed, but most of us have our name and we live according to our name, whatever our parents gave us.
[1:25] We forgot something. His coat, your coat, what about Octavia's coat?
[1:38] No? Okay, she's good. Okay. We didn't choose our name, our parents gave it to us, and what they gave us for a name is something that we will live by, basically, usually for the rest of our lives.
[1:58] I'll give you a couple of examples, and that name that we're given lives on past when we pass away. Example, George Washington. His name is given to him by his parents.
[2:10] We still know that name today, and when we say that name, certain things come to mind. Abraham Lincoln. Certain things come to mind when you hear that name, even though he lived 200 years ago.
[2:23] No 200. So we have names, and what happens with that name is how we act, what we do.
[2:34] Our reputation, our character becomes associated with that name. Let me give you a couple of names. You tell me what you think of.
[2:44] Okay? Judas. Betrayer. Rahab. Harlot. Hmm?
[2:57] Okay, saving. She has a different thing. Most people say harlot. You say she saved the spies that went into the land. Saved? Okay.
[3:09] So she had her past life, and she had another life. She was in the line of Christ, too. So usually people think harlot. I would say single woman.
[3:21] Single woman. Okay. But every one of you had a idea about who she was. What if I say Thomas? Doubt.
[3:32] Thomas the doubter. So we have things associated with names. If I was to say your name, what did people think of? You don't have to tell me. If I say your name, what do people think of?
[3:46] Mud. Mud. Mud. Mud, huh? Yep. Proverbs 22.1 says this. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.
[4:03] A good name, he says, is better than riches, better than silver and gold, better than... To have a name that people, when they say it, they go, oh, yeah, they're a good person.
[4:16] Oh, yeah. I can count on them for this. Oh, yeah. Now, they, you know, having a good name. Ecclesiastes 7.1 says, a good name is better than precious ointment.
[4:28] And the day of death than the day of one's birth. Why would the day of death be better than a day of one's birth? History. Nobody knew you before you were born.
[4:39] Nobody knew you before you were born. You didn't have a reputation. You didn't have a character. You're born, and everybody loves babies. But babies grow up. Get back to mud.
[4:51] Get back to mud. Okay. Get back to mud. Okay. That's true. Yes. Ecclesiastes 7.1.
[5:03] Yep. Good name is better than precious ointment, the day of death, and the day of one's birth. When children are born, everybody loves children. Oh, look at them. They're so cute. They look like mom.
[5:14] They look like dad. They look like... If you ask me, they look like a baby. You know, that's my total sum. You see a baby. Oh, they look like... They look like... I'm like, looks like a baby to me.
[5:26] My grandfather always said that all babies look like Abraham Lincoln. Okay. I didn't know they all came out with stove-top hats on, but okay.
[5:41] But the day of one's death, then you have a character. Then you have a reputation. And what is that character and reputation that you have when you die?
[5:52] Because that defined you before you died. That defined you after you die. When people think your name, they think this. He goes on.
[6:03] Another one. Proverbs 10.7. The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. Ooh.
[6:14] Ooh. The name of the wicked shall rot. Let me throw out a couple more names. Hitler. Everybody's Hitler.
[6:26] Yeah. Everybody's Hitler. Okay. Stalin. Millions of people lost their lives because of these men. Who?
[6:39] Who? Charles. Charles who? Mason. Oh, Mason. Okay. Okay. Yes. I know what you mean now. Yep. People died because of him.
[6:51] Mao Zedong. That's the one I was just trying to think of. Mao Zedong. Again. Maybe. Yep. You have different versions on that one. But these other ones, I mean, definitely, the name of the wicked shall rot.
[7:05] So, our reputation is far more important than our name. The name is what everybody calls us.
[7:17] What's associated with that name is, Shakespeare said, a rose by any other name. It smells so sweet.
[7:31] It doesn't matter what you call it. This is what it smells like. Take a whiff of a rose. Stinking Benjamin. Those stinking Benjamins just smell so good.
[7:42] No. That's not what it's called. But it would, if that's what they had called it, it'd still smell good. It would still be the reputation that goes with it. So, if your name is Bill or Andrew or Sue or Jill or whatever, that's secondary to the testimony that you have as you walk through this life.
[8:01] The name is not as important as what you are, who you are. And throughout Scripture, there's a lot of people given who their names are not necessarily recorded in Scripture.
[8:16] But the things that they did speak volumes. You're with me? Well, before I get there. Remember when we were studying Hebrews?
[8:28] Hebrews chapter 11 gave that list of people who were great heroes of the faith. The very first one in that list, in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 4, deals with Abel.
[8:40] Abel, first son, second son. And Abel, it says this. He being dead, yet speaketh.
[8:54] Abel's dead. But what Abel did and what Abel believed and what Abel had faith in, lived on past that. And he says, Abel's dead, but he still speaks.
[9:07] He still has things to teach us. Yep. Melchizedek. Yep. Nobody ever heard of him after his first name. That's right.
[9:18] Nobody ever heard of him again after that first name. But we still know who he is. He's written in the Bible. So, here's these different ones that we know their names and we know the reputation they had.
[9:30] But there are some we don't know their names. There are some we just have no clue who they are. And the first one we're going to look at is here in John chapter 6.
[9:42] Look with me to John chapter 6 and look at the beginning at verse 1. We're going to read the first nine verses. Verse 1 says, After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
[10:03] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And at Passover, a feast of the Jews was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him, he said unto Philip, Whence shalt thou buy bread that these may eat?
[10:24] And this he said to prove himself, for he himself knew what he... Let's try that again. This he said to prove him that he himself knew what he would do.
[10:38] Philip answered him, Two hundred penny worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said unto him, There is a lad here which hath five barley loaves and two fishes.
[10:57] But what are they among so many? The first one that we're going to look at today, and probably next week, is this little boy.
[11:08] You know, this miracle of feeding the 5,000, it's a special miracle. In this way. It is the only one that's recorded in all four Gospels.
[11:19] Some Gospels talk about some, some talk about some other things. It's the only one mentioned in all four Gospels. All four of them picked up on what was going on here.
[11:31] There's something special that was taking place. And so here's this boy. He comes and he has his lunch with him. And as we look at his life, we're going to learn a few things about him.
[11:42] But the one thing we're not going to learn is his name. We don't have a clue what his name was. But if you read between the lines here, you'll learn some things about him.
[11:54] Number one, you'll learn that he had the right preparation. The right preparation. It says there in verse 9, There is a lad here which hath five barley loaves and two fishes.
[12:07] But what are they among so many? Now remember this is called the feeding of the 5,000. Now there were 5,000 men there, it says. But there were also women and children. So you're talking probably close to 20,000 people were out there that day.
[12:19] They've been there. They've been sitting on the hillside. They've been listening to Jesus and what he had to say. And they're there. And they've been there a long time. It's getting about time for them to go home.
[12:31] And Jesus is like, these people need some food so they can go home. Because they're going to walk to get home. So they need something to eat. Something to give them some strength to go. And he looks out and he talks to his disciples.
[12:44] And they come back with one little boy. And that whole crowd has some food with him. Think about that for a minute. One little boy has food.
[12:56] Now others may have. But this one little boy does. He's ready. He's prepared. Too often we look at performances in life and pay little attention to the preparation for what God wants us to do.
[13:12] God wants to use you. God wants to use you to be a testimony to people. How's your preparation going for doing that? God wants to use you for his honor and his glory.
[13:25] What are you doing to prepare for that? God wants to see us influence our families, people at work, ministry here in the church to different ones.
[13:37] And sometimes we think, oh, it's easy. God's just going to make it happen. I know of pastors who get up in a pulpit on Sunday morning.
[13:51] They have a passage of scripture they have looked at. But they have no notes. They have nothing there because it's like God's spirit is going to fill me and I'm just going to give whatever.
[14:02] You know. That's one way to do it. But I would not be comfortable doing that. I want to have an idea of where I'm going and what I'm doing. But, you know, the other way is just like, well, let's start talking.
[14:14] Let's see where we wind up. Sometimes you're taken off garthole too. And God gives you the notes. He does.
[14:25] There are some times that, you know, I have notes here and I have nothing to do with my notes while I'm up there preaching. It gives me an outline kind of. But from there on, God says, go talk about this and do this.
[14:37] But I don't like to go up there unprepared because, yeah. So I want to be prepared for what God has. There's a man in the Bible, Ezra. Israel had come back from Babylon.
[14:49] They're back in Jerusalem, back in the area. And as they are there, Ezra gathers them together in Jerusalem. And he gets up and he's going to preach to them the word of God.
[15:00] Remind them of what the word of God says. And Ezra 7.10 says this. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
[15:17] Ezra had prepared himself to do what he was about to do. When I come in here on Sunday mornings to do this Sunday school class, I have tried to prepare myself for what I'm going to do.
[15:33] And then I go over it Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and again on Saturday night. For the morning service, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
[15:44] And I went over it again this morning before I will do it. I want to be prepared so that I don't have to constantly be looking at my notes. I'm not reading it off to you. But God told me, prepare.
[16:00] Get ready for what he's about to do. And then sometimes I do read things. President Nixon once told someone that while he was talking to Winston Churchill's son, he said he admired how that Winston Churchill was able to get up and give extemporaneous speeches in just any situation.
[16:20] And the son's reply was this. Oh, yes. He said, I watched my dad work for hours preparing those extemporaneous messages. So he was getting prepared.
[16:32] He didn't know what he was going to wind up doing. But I suppose every time he got ready, Winston Churchill did, to go speak somewhere. He kind of had an idea what was going to be going on. So he was preparing. He was thinking it through.
[16:44] He was getting ready for what he was going to say. So there's right preparation for what God wants us to do. Second, being in the right place. You notice also in verse 9, it says, yeah, there is a lad here.
[16:59] There's a lad here. He was in the right place. He was where God needed him. You know, when you look at it, it's so interesting. Because he could have been out doing anything.
[17:12] He's a lad. When I think lad, I think 10, 11, 12. I think that age group. He's there where Jesus is speaking. And it doesn't say anything in any of the Gospels about his parents.
[17:25] It doesn't say anything about any friends. It just says the boy was there. And his heart was in the right place. And his heart was in the right place, yes. Because I was about to say, you know, as a lad, he could have been out hiking.
[17:40] He could have gone fishing. He could have still been in bed since today. You know, he could have still been there. Or he could have been selfish. He said, no, I don't want to. Yeah, he could have.
[17:53] And then he's there where Jesus is. How much encouragement do you have to have to be where Jesus wants you?
[18:09] To be in church? To be wherever he might want you to be? How many people have to remind you to do what God wants you to do?
[18:20] To be in God's word daily. To be doing what God has for you. You remember Joshua? You know, Joshua fit the battle of Jericho. Joshua who became the leader of Israel after Moses' death.
[18:35] What did Joshua write? In Joshua 24, 15, he said this. For if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve.
[18:47] Whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
[18:57] He says we are going to be there where God wants us to be. We're going to be doing what God wants us to do. We're going to be saying what God wants us to say. We are going to serve the Lord.
[19:08] Are we prepared to do that? Are we in the right place? Are we ready to do whatever God leads us to do? You know, one of the testimonies you have should always be, people know where you're going to be on the Lord's Day.
[19:25] I have had former students in the past who have told me, Mr. Hersey, if I ever need to find you, I know where you'll be on Sunday.
[19:39] I said, yep, I'll be in church. And that's the testimony we should have, to be in the right place. Hebrews 10, 25. He says, Jesus is closer to coming back today than he was yesterday.
[20:26] He says, get together. Listen to what God's word has to say. Understand what God wants you to do, especially as you look at the fact that Jesus is coming again. Be ready.
[20:38] So we need to have the right preparation. We need to be in the right place. Part of getting together at church is so we'll be around the right people. The right people. Look at chapter 6 there, verse 8.
[20:51] It says, one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. Where was this kid standing? He was standing next.
[21:03] Not where all they were. He was standing next to Andrew. He was right next to Andrew. And so Jesus asked his disciples to get food to feed the hungry. You know, it just happens.
[21:17] That there's one boy with five loads and two fishes that happens to be just standing next to Andrew. Just a coincidence. Isn't it interesting, too, that five loads and two fishes is one little boy.
[21:31] Yep. His expectation is a really good meal. His expectation is a good meal. He's a little boy. So, yep. Coincidence that he's standing there.
[21:43] Look back at verse 6. What does verse 6 say? Actually, in the end of verse 5, he says, When shall we buy bread that these may eat? Jesus said that.
[21:54] And this he said to prove him. He asked that of Philip. For he himself knew what he would do. Jesus knew everything that was going to take place there.
[22:06] He was all set. He knew they had enough food. One little boy with five loads and two fishes. Plenty of food for what we need. Feed 5,000, 20,000. We got plenty.
[22:18] See, Jesus knew what he was going to do. It wasn't an accident that this little boy happened to be standing there that day. He's going to use that little boy and his lunch to meet a need for a whole lot of people.
[22:31] How many rocks? How many rocks? Different incident.
[22:42] But, yeah, see, different time. That's when the devil tempted him when he was up there by himself. This one, no. But I don't know how many rocks were up there. But, yeah, he could have done that too.
[22:54] But in this case, he wanted to use this boy. He wanted him to be a testimony. He wanted him to be an example of what God could do using one person whose name we don't know.
[23:08] You think about it. Most little boys, when they leave for school, mom prepares them a lunch, and they have a lunchbox. How many of you had a lunchbox when you were a kid?
[23:20] Yeah, right? Name was written on it. And people, this is my lunchbox. Don't you be messing with it. This is mine. Or they have a paper bag, and their name would be written on the paper bag.
[23:32] This, it says he had the food. But, again, nowhere do we know his name. If it was written on something, apparently nobody paid any attention. But he had it with him.
[23:45] So he has this boy with a lunch. And Jesus made sure he didn't get lost in the crowd. He didn't just wind up wandering around out there somewhere. He's next to Andrew.
[23:56] When we look and we hear Jesus, and Jesus knows what all is about to happen, it's just a message with your mind, in fact, that God had this all set up, all prepared, to teach us a lesson.
[24:17] See, when we associate with the right kind of people, which is what this boy was doing, God puts us in a position where God can use us. God has us where he wants us, so that he can use us.
[24:31] Proverbs 13, 20. Proverbs 13, 20. He says, He's looking for those who will be in the right place.
[25:10] God's looking for those who will be prepared. Why do you come to church? To fellowship with others. To hear God's word. To help you be prepared. So that when you go out from here, you've got God's word to go with you.
[25:22] What I say doesn't matter. What God's word says is ultimate. We have to know what this book says. Psalm 100, Psalm 1, verses 1 and 2.
[25:35] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
[25:51] He says, don't hang out with those who are going to lead you astray. Don't hang out with those who are going to take you down the path that you don't want to go. He says, be with God.
[26:02] Be with his people. Learn what God's word says. Fourth one. Right patience. He had the right patience. He's a little boy.
[26:14] 10, 11, 12 years old. They're not known for their patience. Right there. Just sit there for a second. You know, we're constantly, stop.
[26:29] They're not known for their patience. But here's this boy who has patience. As a kid, and you all had your lunchboxes and stuff, was there ever a time when before lunch, maybe it was recess or something, and you're like, oh, I'm hungry.
[26:45] You grab that and you open it up and chocolate chip cookies come out. Or maybe half of your fluffernutter comes out, you know. Huh? You're a weird kid.
[27:02] Those things come out. And you take a little bit of it. The miracle here is the fact that they probably didn't eat until a little later in the afternoon.
[27:13] Because, again, they're getting ready to go home. And he wants them to have strength to walk the journey home. It's probably going to be a few miles that they had to walk home. And he wants them to be ready to be able to do that.
[27:23] And so here's this boy who still has his lunch intact. It's still all there. He hasn't been nibbling away at it during the day.
[27:36] It's still there. He's well prepared. He's in the right place. He's went to the right people. All would have meant nothing if he hadn't been patient and waited on eating that lunch.
[27:49] You know, there may have been other people there who brought lunches. There may have been others who brought snacks. But apparently they were gone. And here's this little boy who still has his.
[28:02] He waited for the right time. You probably notice as you've gone through scripture. You probably notice as you've gone through your life.
[28:13] God's timing is always right. God's timing is always right. Ecclesiastes 3.1 To everything there is a season.
[28:26] And a time to every purpose under the heaven. God's timing is different than our timing. We think we should do this here and this here and this here. God wants me to do this now and do this now and do this.
[28:39] God put this idea into my head and I should do this now. Well, sometimes we should immediately. Sometimes he tells us to wait, though. He wants us to have the idea and be preparing for what he wants us to do.
[28:52] Do you remember in Galatians last week? Galatians 4.4 When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son. He says, when the timing was right.
[29:05] He had told us way back at the beginning. Remember with Adam and Eve. Genesis 3.15 About the fact that there was going to be punishment for the serpent, for the devil. And he says, way up here 2,000 years later.
[29:19] Okay. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son. God's timing is always perfect. Isaiah 55. Verses 8 and 9.
[29:30] For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. And my thoughts than your thoughts.
[29:42] We need to be preparing ourselves by being in God's word every day. We need to make sure we're in the right place. Coming to church.
[29:53] Being there where God can teach us. Being with others who are Christians. So that we can learn from them. That's being in the right place and being with the right people. He says, do these different things.
[30:05] Have that fellowship with other people. With right people. He says, make good and godly friends. And then, let God do his work.
[30:18] Let God do his work. Sometimes we try to help God along. Had that been there, huh? Sometimes we try to help him along.
[30:30] It doesn't work. Do it in his time. Do it when it's right. Take these four priorities. Make them a part of your life. Psalm 37.7 says this.
[30:43] Rest in the Lord. And wait patiently for him. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. That's the boy's character. We'll learn some more about the boy next week.
[30:55] It's already time to be done. We'll learn some more. Yep. Isaiah 55. 8 and 9. Yep.
[31:08] Isaiah 55. 8 and 9. Yep. Double check that. Yep. All right.
[31:18] Let's have a word of prayer. Father. Thank you.