From Empty Hands to Full Hearts

[0:00] Gospel of Luke, and we're making our way through Jesus and His mission.! What does it look like for Jesus to be on mission? He came to seek and save that which was lost, but we've kind of seen over the last couple weeks! That Jesus is kind of taking the training wheels off His disciples, because He's saying, listen, I haven't been just training you to do nothing, I've been training you to go and do the same thing.

[0:20] Let me remind us today that the mission has not changed. That we are to go to share the gospel, we are to go and share Christ to the world, to our neighbors, to every nation, and we have that great opportunity.

[0:31] There's some great truths here. You think, well, I don't have a lot. What can Jesus do if I have very little? Well, this text is going to help us understand that. Now, this may be a familiar text. It's in all four gospels.

[0:42] One of the few miracles besides the death, burial, and resurrection is the only miracle besides the death, burial, and resurrection that's in all four gospels. So you found your place there in verse number 10. We'll begin reading where the Bible says this, And the apostles, when they returned, told Him all that they had done.

[0:57] And He took them and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. And the people, when they knew it, followed Him. And He received them and spake unto them the kingdom of God and healed them that had need of healing.

[1:14] And when the day had began to wear away, then came the twelve and said unto them, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns, into the country, round about, and lodge and get victuals.

[1:26] And for we are here in a desert place. Verse 13, But He said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fish, except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

[1:42] For when they were about five thousand men, and He said unto His disciples, Make them set down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all set down.

[1:55] Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them and break them and gave to His disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled.

[2:09] And there was taken up fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. This is one of those miracles that is awesome. Because when I go to Texas Roadhouse and I break the rolls, they run out very quickly.

[2:26] But listen, that is us as human beings. We are finite. We do not have the ability to do these things. But here's the great truth. We serve a Savior that does.

[2:37] You say, All I have is a little to offer. Well, there's an old hymn. Little is much when God is in it. We have to make sure that we go to Him. And that we trust Him. And we rest in Him. And that's what we're going to see here this morning.

[2:49] So before we do that, let's have a word of prayer. And then we'll jump right in. Father, thank You for this time together. Thank You for the songs that have reminded us of how good You are to us. Lord, we have a story worth telling. We have a joy that we can sing about.

[3:01] So thankful that You're so merciful to us. Lord, we do not deserve it. And Lord, yet You are rich in mercy. You shed it abundantly as we read just a minute ago. But Lord, I pray You'd be with us now as we come to this moment.

[3:13] And we've had maybe a long week, a busy week, a trying week. I don't know what people I've brought here, brought with them, walked through. But I know that You know and You care. And I pray that You would just speak to their hearts.

[3:25] Wherever need needs to be met. Lord, whatever encouragement needs, that You would meet that. Lord, that we would respond to the message that we wouldn't just nod in agreement. But we would take these truths and we would live them out this week.

[3:39] Lord, I pray if there's somebody here that does not know You as their Savior, that today would be that day. I pray You'd be with me. You would empty me of self. Cleanse me of sin. Lord, fill me with Your Spirit. Be a help to these dear people this morning.

[3:51] We ask it in Christ's name. Amen. Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated. Any optimist in here? Any pessimist? You don't want people to know?

[4:04] Heard a story about two brothers. And I've used this illustration before, but it goes well here. One was a hopeless pessimist and the other was just an incurable optimist. And the parents were trying to kind of find some balance in their family between these kids.

[4:19] And so they took them to a psychiatrist and said, we need some help. And they said, okay, here's what we're going to do. And they placed the pessimist in this room and it was full of toys. But instead of playing, he looked at all the toys and he thought to himself, if I start playing with them, they're probably going to just break.

[4:33] And he just sat there and kind of was down on himself. But the optimist, they put him in this room and he was placed in a room and there was just a mountain of manure in the room. Yuck.

[4:46] And so everyone's shocked when he just started smiling and started digging in this mountain of manure. And they're thinking, what is going on? And the dad said, son, what are you doing?

[4:56] He said, with this much manure, there has to be a pony under here. And sometimes that's how you look at life. And most of the time you're married to that other person. And you're kind of a half glass, half full or half empty kind of person.

[5:11] And the point is this, is how we see our circumstances often affects how we respond to them. We look at a circumstance and maybe you face something this week and you're thinking, well, there's just no point.

[5:23] Maybe you've decided you're just not going to work tomorrow after last week. Well, there's no point. Y'all awake? Trying to see if you're awake here. But it really does. How we view the circumstances affects how we're going to handle it.

[5:36] How we're going to move forward. What kind of effort we're going to put in. And as we've kind of walked through the Gospel of Luke, and really when you walk through all of the Gospels, we see Christ always views things with a heavenly perspective.

[5:50] He doesn't come to situations like this and the feeding of the 5,000 and say, oh no. What's going to happen? I don't know what's going to take place. We've seen him come against the nature and the storms.

[6:01] We've seen him come against demons and death and disease. And every single time, he takes a heavenly perspective. He realizes that he is above those circumstances. And he's been trying to get his disciples to grasp that truth.

[6:14] That Jesus is the way. And he is the truth. And he is the life. And he can handle anything that happens. But I relate so much with the disciples because they see all this. And they experience it.

[6:26] And the very next time a problem comes, they're thinking, oh no. What are we going to do? Isn't that like us in our life? I mean, we know God's good. And we'll hear a song about it. And we'll say amen.

[6:36] But yet, tomorrow, if something comes in your life, you're going to think, oh no. I don't know if he can handle this. But he can. And see, the disciples often look through life through just a very ordinary lens.

[6:48] Sometimes a very pessimistic lens. And that's why Jesus used these moments. And he used these opportunities. Because the miracle is never about the miracle. It's about the teaching.

[7:00] It's about pointing to who he is. Because they were worried about food. They were worried about this. Because Jesus wanted them to understand this. I'm the bread of life. That Jesus is the only one that can satisfy.

[7:12] So I want us to look at this account and the telling of this story and ask ourselves, what lessons can we learn from Jesus here? Well, what can we take away?

[7:22] What can we apply to our life? You're going to love this first point. That like Jesus, we should find rest in him. How many of you woke up this morning and you thought, I can't wait for my nap?

[7:35] I mean, I had a couple days like this week when the alarm went off. I mean, the first thing I thought is not what I'm going to do, where am I going to go. I'm like, how quickly can I get back into this bed?

[7:46] You ever been there? I mean, we've had a busy week. We've had a busy time. And our text really here, it really comes off the heels of an incredibly busy season for the apostles.

[7:57] For Jesus and his ministry. And Luke tells us, as we looked last week, that Jesus had sent his disciples out. They went on a preaching campaign. They were preaching the kingdom of God. They were healing. They were doing all of these things.

[8:10] And no doubt it would have worn them out just a little bit. They were exhausted. But when we kind of piece this story together from the other gospel accounts, Mark reminds us that not only were they telling Jesus what they did, but what they taught.

[8:24] And we know this from the life of Christ. Not everything they taught and not everything they did, people received it well. Yes, there was good response and people's lives were no doubt changed. But there was also that idea that when they went out, people rejected them.

[8:38] And they scoffed at them. And see, they're giving Jesus this ministry report there in verse number 10. That when they returned, they told him all that they had done.

[8:49] Mark tells us this. They were so busy, they couldn't even eat a snack. Like, I'm a snacker. I love snacks. I may only eat a few meals, but I'm going to eat 47 snacks during the day. Because that's just, it's just biblical, I think, because it's right here.

[9:05] But Mark adds, he's saying the disciples, like, listen, we were so busy. People were coming and going. We didn't even have time to eat. And here's what they're doing. Here's what the disciples are doing. They're saying, Jesus, we are peopled out.

[9:17] You ever been peopled out? You're like, if one more person texts me. If one more person calls me. And, you know, I don't even want to talk to anybody. That's kind of where the disciples are. They've had a long week.

[9:29] They've had a long time. I mean, they haven't put themselves out there like that in a long time. Because usually, Jesus is in the forefront. And they're just like, yeah, we're here. We're just going to kind of do what he says.

[9:41] But I love this. This is what Jesus told them. He said, come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while. That's what Mark tells us. So, yes, it's a busy season.

[9:51] And they're kind of just worn out. But Matthew adds another layer that really kind of adds a heavy weight. Because while the disciples are out and while they're teaching and doing all the things that Jesus called them to do, John the Baptist was executed.

[10:05] And some of these disciples originally followed John. This wasn't just something they heard. It was something just heavy in their life. And they had to deal with that. And they had to go and they buried John.

[10:17] And they came back and they told Christ. And just this heaviness. There was this excitement of all the things God's doing. But the reality is that not everybody's going to be for it. And that John was executed for preaching the truth.

[10:30] And then John, in his account of this, brings another angle. That as they crossed the Sea of Galilee, the crowds kept following. Because Jesus says, listen, guys, we've got to get away.

[10:41] We need a little rest. I know you're tired. Let's just go on a little R&R trip. But as they're going on this R&R trip, people keep following. Why? Because they need Jesus.

[10:53] Because they have needs and they realize this. I can't meet him. This man probably can. And when you really put it all together, here's the scene. The disciples are worn out from ministry.

[11:04] And Jesus is grieving the death of John the Baptist. And the crowd is pressing in, hungry for more miracles. But Jesus says, before we kind of move forward, here's what we need to do.

[11:16] We need to step back and rest for a minute. We need to just get alone. We need to get with the Father. And really, that's the heart of our Lord. That he's both fully human.

[11:27] We've seen that. And he's fully divine. Hey, the human side of Christ, it felt the weight of the grief and the fatigue and just the busyness of life. But being fully divine, being God in the flesh, he was overflowing with compassion for his sheep.

[11:45] And listen, there's times where we are involved in ministry. And we're trying to love on people. And we're trying to be a witness at school. And we're trying to be the right kind of co-worker and the right kind of spouse and father and mother. But sometimes we just got to find some alone time with the Lord.

[12:01] Sometimes you have to get up a little bit earlier and spend time with the Lord. I knew that was going to go over real well. Maybe you stay up a little bit later and spend time with the Lord. But sometimes we do all of these things.

[12:12] And we're busy, busy, busy. And we don't take time for what's really important. The old pastor, Vance Habner, said this. If we don't come apart, we will come apart.

[12:23] Listen, Jesus is for rest. We need that. Some people rust out because they're not doing anything. But other people burn out because they never stop.

[12:34] We see in the ministry of Christ that many times he pulls back. Yes, the needs are always going to be there. But here's what he knew he needed. Time with his father. We're going to see over and over and over in the gospels that Jesus pulled away and went to a mountain to pray.

[12:50] That he got alone with his father. And the application for us this morning is there is a time to work. I know you don't want to hear that. But there's also a time to rest. That we need that. Listen, rest is not laziness.

[13:02] It's obedience. That we have to recharge. We've got to make sure we're connected to the source. Because if we're not spending daily time with Christ, if we're not resting in him, here's what's going to happen.

[13:14] Your battery is going to run all the way out. And it's not going to end up in a good spot. But here's the key. Here's where rest is. We rest in him, not from him.

[13:29] He didn't say, okay guys, just go do whatever you want. He said, come apart with me. Come rest with me. And that's what we have to do. That's where true rest is found.

[13:41] Remember what Jesus told us? Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. And I will give you rest. Sometimes we think what we're doing restfully is actually making us more tired.

[13:55] You ever need a vacation from your vacation? Like I'm just going to get away and do nothing. And you're more tired coming home from doing vacation than you were before. Because it's not just always about physical.

[14:05] Here's what we need. We need rest spiritually. That God wants to renew the inward man. And he understood that about his disciples. So before we come into this great miracle, he said, listen, let's step back.

[14:17] Let's just get alone. Let's just spend some time together. He knew that's what they needed. But he also was not under the illusion that the world's needs never stop coming.

[14:30] And that's what we see. It leads us to the second lesson we can learn from Jesus. Because like Jesus, we should have compassion on others. I love how Mark describes it. Because Mark tells us they get into a boat.

[14:43] You know, I haven't been on a lot of boats. But I enjoy it. You know, I've been out on Lake Kiowa a little bit. And some friends have invited us out there. And I'm sitting in the boat. And there's just a breeze that's blowing.

[14:55] You know, maybe the sun's setting. And it's just a beautiful time. And you're like, this is awesome. That's kind of how I picture the disciples. They're thinking, there's not a motor on there. So they're probably having to work a little bit, you know, to get there.

[15:05] This is kind of a dinghy. But they're there. And maybe one of them's up on the bow. And the wind's in his face. And he's like, this is awesome. Look back. Peter's just sawing logs back here. He's so tired.

[15:16] You know, because he thinks he's the best on everything. But he's sleeping. I mean, it's just, I want us to picture that. And then one of them looks over there. And on the shore, there's a bunch of people. And they're like, that's them.

[15:28] And they're just chasing them down. They're trying to head the boat off. What would your response be? You know what mine would be? You've got to be kidding me. Don't act all spiritual like, let's go over there right now.

[15:40] They're thinking, I'm off the clock. I don't want to talk to these people. Jesus, I'm not really. I thought we were going on vacation. That's kind of where they're at. And the crowds, they never stop coming.

[15:53] And they just desire, we're going to see in a minute, they just wanted to be alone. And listen, that's human nature. Sometimes we just want time to ourselves. You know, some of you moms, I know you're like that.

[16:05] You just go lock yourself in your closet. Yeah, I remember growing up, I was like, where's mom? Apparently she locks herself in the closet, and she has candy in there. No wonder she goes and locks herself in the closet.

[16:17] I'm like, mom, mom. I mean, we feel that in our own life. Just maybe as an employer, as a spouse, as a parent, we just think, I just want to be by myself.

[16:31] But Jesus, he loved these people. He didn't just have compassion. Sometimes we have compassion in the sense, oh, God bless them. You know, we're Southern. We say things like that. Bless their heart.

[16:43] But we do nothing about it. But we notice with Jesus, compassion, here's what it does. It moves you to do something. Look what the Bible says in verse number 11. And the people, when they knew it, followed him, and he received them.

[16:57] And what did he do? He preached the gospel to them. He spake the kingdom of God, and he healed them that had need of healing. When the disciples, what they saw as an inconvenience, Jesus saw as a great opportunity.

[17:13] And I just want to remind you and remind myself that Jesus does not view you as an inconvenience. Sometimes we think, well, I don't want to bother him.

[17:23] No, no. He says, cast all your cares on me. And instead of casting our cares on him, we end up burning out. But I'm thankful that Jesus had compassion on me. How do we know that?

[17:35] Look at the cross of Calvary. That he came and he gave his life for my sin and for your sin. And that's a picture to remind us that we are never going to inconvenience Jesus. That we can come and he has compassion.

[17:49] And he is not just a shepherd as he saw these sheep. He is the good shepherd. He is the perfect shepherd. But what he wants to remind his disciples as they're there, and what we can take away this morning is this.

[18:02] Is God has called us to point others to Christ. And it's kind of a hard-hitting question, but it's one we've got to think about. Do we see people as interruptions or opportunities?

[18:16] Think about that. Because most of the time we're thinking, this person needs to get out of my way. Like, can these people not read 15 items or less? I mean, it's just our human nature.

[18:31] Is we see people as a burden, as an interruption. And maybe it's somebody at work that always seems to ask for help. Maybe it's at home when the kids, you've had a long day, and they're always tugging on you.

[18:42] And they're always asking questions like, why is the sky blue? Like, I don't know. Google it. But it just seems like there's always people constantly pulling. Maybe it's at church and a guest walks in. Or a friend walks in and you're thinking, ah, people.

[18:53] Listen, it's opportunities. Do we see them as burdens or as sheep needing a shepherd? That's what Jesus, how he viewed people. And he was training his disciples to see them the same way.

[19:07] To see them as not as an inconvenience, but as an opportunity to share the love of Christ. But compassion alone isn't enough. Love moves to action.

[19:19] And that's what we see next. We see that like Jesus, we should seek to meet the needs of others. This is, I love this verse in here. I'm glad Luke included it. Because I always think to myself, man, I want to be like the disciples.

[19:32] I want to be like Peter. But every time I realize, I just relate to them in situations I shouldn't. You ever been there? Like, not in the great things. No, here's what the disciples say.

[19:43] They see all these people as sheep not having a shepherd and they have great needs. And here was their plan. Send them away. That's what it says. You know, they did all well.

[19:55] And when the day began and the 12 came to him and said, you know, I don't know how they, Lord, we love you. Send these people away. I mean, I don't know. That's just kind of how I read it there.

[20:07] That he decided to send them away. That's what they wanted to do. They said, listen, tell them to get their own jobs. Tell them to find their own food. Send them to the country. Send them somewhere.

[20:17] I mean, one of the restaurants has to be open. That's the mindset. That's what they're telling them in verse number 12. And I love, Jesus just looks at them. I think Jesus just lets them say whatever they want to say.

[20:28] You know how I know that? Because he does to me sometimes as well. I go to him, I'm praying, and it's like he just lets me say it all. He's like, all right, here's what we're going to do. The very next verse, verse number 13, he said, let's feed them.

[20:40] Hey, tell them to sit down. Give ye. He tells, hey, why don't you guys feed them? Give them to eat. I mean, you talk about an outrageous command.

[20:51] There's no way they can do this. You turn to John's account. Philip's over there trying to count money, and he's determined a whole year of wages isn't going to happen. And then Andrew said, well, all we have, I mean, we got nothing except this little boy's lunch.

[21:06] And you want us to feed him? You want us to take care of this, Lord? That's not going to happen. I mean, simply put, the problem was way beyond their resources.

[21:21] But that's exactly where Jesus wanted them to be. That's where he wanted them to get to. And that's where sometimes we have to get in our life. Because, you know, sometimes we think to ourselves, I can handle this.

[21:35] You know that we're to pray about everything. We're to seek the Father's will in everything. We're to follow him. But you know what we do most of the time? We call on him when we need him. We don't follow him all the time.

[21:47] Because we'll look at our bank account. We'll look at our time. We'll look at this. And we'll think, you know what? I can handle that. I can fix that problem. I can meet that need. I don't even have to pray about this. I mean, the Lord just, he's going to let me do whatever I need to do.

[21:59] And that's sometimes our mindset. But God, at times in our life, has to deliberately place us in situations where our own strength is impossible. Which is all the time.

[22:12] But sometimes it has to be a drastic situation. You ever been in the middle of nowhere and the gas light comes on? I mean, you know, some of you, some of you, we talked, I think we talked about this Wednesday.

[22:25] Some of you are like, I can get two more miles out of this. Two more miles sometimes is going to put you in a real bad spot. Because you're in the middle of nowhere. And that's kind of the disciples. I mean, they're running on fumes already.

[22:38] They're trying to send people away. They've had a busy time. They've had, they're dealing with some grief. They're dealing with all these things. And Jesus says, hey, why don't you take care of this need? But as we've seen over the last in Luke chapter 8 and coming into Luke chapter 9, Jesus is going to teach them this once again.

[22:55] Only he can satisfy. Only he can meet the needs. He didn't call the disciples. He didn't say, follow me and I'll watch how you do it. He just said, follow me. Live like me.

[23:07] Love like me. Trust like me. He is showing them over and over and over. Listen, I don't know what needs you're facing right now. Maybe you're sitting here this morning thinking, you know what?

[23:19] I can handle this. You brought a problem in. You've been dealing with it for a couple weeks. You know what? If I can do this and I can move some money here and I can pay this and I can do that and I can go here, then I'll just handle it.

[23:29] But when you face a need, whether it's your family or your finances or at your job, listen, here's the truth. They're all a pasture of ability. Jesus says, without me, you can do nothing.

[23:43] But the problem is sometimes we try to do it ourselves and then we panic. But Jesus is just teaching some real basic principles. Here's what he says. Just start with obedience. Just do what you can do.

[23:56] Because he didn't tell them to do the miracle. He's going to tell them, I want you to do a couple things. Tell them to sit down. Tell them to get ready. Tell them to do this. And you kind of piece it together through the other gospels.

[24:08] But ultimately he's just reminding this. Just trust me. Maybe when you were little or maybe there's somebody you do trust. Maybe it's a coworker and you think, is this going to work? Just trust me.

[24:19] Some people that say that, you're thinking, I don't trust you at all. Like, I'm going to stand back here because I'm not sure how this is going to end out. But when God says that, how do we respond?

[24:32] Because that's what he's saying to us today. That issue, that problem, that situation in your life, here's what he's saying. Just trust me. Why don't you give that to me?

[24:43] Why don't you let me handle that? And we're just, we're clenching it with all the strength we have. And God's almost like trying to take it out of our hands. No, I can do this. As we've failed over and over and over again.

[24:56] See, the disciples did their part. He had them sit down. They did the instructions. They offered what little they had and what little faith they even possessed.

[25:09] Because they had to, I just, I wonder what they were thinking when they were going out telling everybody to sit down. Hey, I need everybody to get in a group of 50. Why? I don't know. Just do it. You're like, I'm not sure what's going to happen.

[25:21] I don't want to get in trouble though. So sit down in groups of 50. I mean, you've been in a situation like that. You don't believe it's going to happen at all. But you're just trying to do the things. So you can say, I did my part. Listen, we just have to have faith as a mustard seed.

[25:35] It's not very big. But God can do it. And they're out there. And they're doing these things. And they're getting everybody situated. And they're getting them set down. And now Jesus is going to show them what he can do.

[25:48] With just a little bit of obedience and just a little bit of faith. And he teaches us this great truth that like Jesus, we should trust the Father to provide.

[25:58] Verse number 16. Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes. And looking up to heaven, he blessed them and break them.

[26:10] And gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. Verse 17. And they did eat. Not just eat. And were filled.

[26:20] Jesus isn't going to just give you just what you need to get by. That's not how he operates. No.

[26:30] He completely satisfies. See, sometimes we treat Jesus like an appetizer. We're just going to get a little bit here. I just need a little bit on Sunday morning to get me through the week. No, no. You need all of Jesus.

[26:43] You need everything. You come here and you get a full meal. And you take it with you. Hey, we're going to see in a minute. They took a to-go bag. We need to take a to-go bag.

[26:53] What we learn and what we were reminded at church. Because it's going to help us go through the week. Because you're going to face something tomorrow. Or Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or Thursday. That you're not going to be able to handle. And you remind this. You know what? God can.

[27:04] That I need to trust him. And Jesus takes these loaves and these fish. And he looks to heaven. And he blesses them. And he breaks them. And the disciples begin to pass it out. I don't know how this happened.

[27:16] I want to see this. I wonder if it's just they just keep reaching in. It just keeps coming. I don't know if they have to go back. It's just an amazing thing. They got to be thinking. You know. I bet they're counting.

[27:28] One. Two. Three. They get to 50. They're like 51. I mean. It probably ran out about five or six. I wonder what was going through their mind. They started looking.

[27:41] I mean. Because they're all. Because they set them in companies. And the disciples. There's 12 of them. They're passing out. They're probably like. What is going on? And everyone ate until they were full. And I don't think it's any coincidence.

[27:54] There's no proof per se. But there's 12 baskets that remain. I think sometimes Jesus got a little sense of humor. Hey guys. Why don't you. Why don't you take one of these goodie bags home to your family.

[28:08] Since you didn't even think you could do it. I mean. They didn't. They think. There's no way. Yet Jesus. Not only feeds everybody until they're full. And some of these men. There had to be some teenagers in there.

[28:19] They were eating 50 loaves of bread. And 25 fish. And we're getting there in my house. I'm like. What? Like. We're not eating this much. See.

[28:30] Where the disciples saw scarcity. Jesus saw abundance. Where they saw a burden. He saw an opportunity. To glorify his father. Maybe God's places in a situation.

[28:42] And we think. What good can come out of this? Here's. Here's what can come out. That we. We give glory to God. Because they couldn't walk away and say. Yeah. I told you. I mean. I was kind of doubting.

[28:53] But in the back of my mind. I really knew it was going to happen. No. They were humbled. And they realized. They didn't trust God. As much as they thought. They trusted God.

[29:05] See. It's easy to trust God. On a Sunday morning. And hear the song. And say amen. And do that thing. And agree with the preaching. But what about when. Life happens. When you run into it.

[29:17] This week. The truth. Doesn't change. We can still trust him. That he can provide. That he always provides. And I just want to ask you. This simple question. What are you.

[29:28] Trusting in? Maybe it's your ability to work. Your job. Your retirement plan. This situation. Your talents. Your health. The things.

[29:38] Let me remind you. All of that could be gone like this. And it's really not what you're trusting in. It's who you're trusting in. Because there's two options.

[29:50] You. Or him. I know this. I've let myself down. More than I can even count. But he has never let me down.

[30:01] Now it may not always work out like I thought it should. Or what I was doing. But I know this. That a little becomes a lot in the hands of Jesus. Because the reality is this. Your resources are small.

[30:14] They are. You think. Well hey. I've done pretty well. And I've saved. And I've done this. They're small. In comparison to the Lord. Your strength is limited.

[30:27] Even those of greatest faith. It really is still feeble. But that's the great news. That when it's placed in his hands. It becomes more than enough.

[30:39] That Jesus is more than enough. Whatever you may be looking for in this world. To bring satisfaction. I'm going to tell you. It will not. But Jesus will.

[30:52] And that's why in the gospel of John. He begins to preach. He says listen. You were here for the food. But guess what? You're going to be hungry in just a minute. I'm hungry right now. I eat breakfast. And a donut.

[31:03] I'm not sure. A donut's breakfast. But you know what? You're just going to get hungry again. And get hungry again. I mean you're already thinking about it. You're thinking right now. Right now you're thinking. What are we going to eat for lunch?

[31:16] And then at lunch. We eat meals. Maybe this is just my feeling. As we're eating a meal. We're asking. What are we eating for the next meal? You know.

[31:29] Sometimes we even go crazy. Like what are we going to eat next weekend? Like I don't know. We're just trying to make it through this meal. You know why? Because we know this. That this meal that we're going to eat. We're going to get hungry again.

[31:39] And maybe you've been trying meals. And trying these things to satisfy your life. And you just wonder. Why am I never satisfied? Why am I always empty handed? Why does my stomach.

[31:51] My spirit seem so empty? Here's why. Because you're eating things that will never satisfy. Only Jesus can. That like this crowd. Here's what we need to do.

[32:01] Run to him. Because they realize this. I don't know what's going to happen. But we just want to be near him. And the closer you get to Jesus. And the more you follow him. You're going to realize this. He satisfies every time.

[32:14] Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. That's what we're reminded. And we come to the end of this text. And we think. What do we take away from this? What's the bigger picture?

[32:28] Here's the picture. This miracle is not about bread and fish. It isn't. We always call it the feeding of the 5,000. It's not about the 5,000 men.

[32:40] And by the way. There's probably about 20,000 people there. Because most of them probably had their wife. And at least one kid with them. This was a massive. It's not about any of those things. Here's what it's about. It's about the same thing.

[32:50] That every story in the Bible is about. Jesus. But that's what it's about. Listen. He's the shepherd that sees you. He's the savior that died for you. He is the provider that can take empty hands.

[33:02] And fill them with abundance. And so the question for you this morning is this. What will you do with him? Maybe you brought something here.

[33:13] And you're just holding on to something. Maybe you need to come to the altar. And just leave it there. Lord, I can't do this. I don't have enough. I don't know what to do. Will you walk away hungry.

[33:25] Clutching the little crumbs of self-effort. That you brought with you. Knowing that it won't satisfy. Knowing that it's not changing your life.

[33:36] Or will you place your life in his hands. The same hands that broke the bread. The same hands that took the nails on the cross for you.

[33:48] It's really where do you want to place your life. Maybe you're here today and you've been struggling with just trying to put it all together. And maybe you know about Jesus but you never called upon him.

[33:59] Listen, today is the day of salvation. We all need it. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of that sin is death.

[34:11] But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Don't leave this place empty. When the bread of life is being freely offered.

[34:23] I'm not the one offering it. He is. He's offering himself. That's what John 3.16 reminds us. For God so loved the world that he gave. That he offered.

[34:33] That he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believes in him shall not perish. But have everlasting life. That Jesus is the bread. God, repent and believe he will forgive you.

[34:48] And he wants to give you eternal life. That's why he came. That's his mission. But I do want to remind the believers here this morning, the calling is just as clear. Because maybe you've been dealing with it this week, Lord.

[34:59] I just don't have enough. Well, he has more than enough. What excuse are you bringing here? Put what little you have in his hands and watch him do much.

[35:10] Well, how do I do that, preacher? Live with compassion. See the crowds. See the people. Listen, I'm thankful when people see me. You know, you go to certain places, you're just a number.

[35:23] You go to pull the number, you're thinking, man, they're never going to see me here. How do we see people? As an inconvenience, as a burden? Listen, there's opportunities to serve the hurting. There's an opportunity to rest in him.

[35:35] Maybe you just need to get alone with the Lord and just recharge yourself. We need to find rest in him. And when you do that, you're going to find the same Jesus who fed the thousands with a boy's lunch is still more than enough.

[35:51] To meet your needs, to use your life, and to satisfy your souls. So I'll just leave you with this question. If Jesus could feed 5,000 men plus the women and children with five loaves and two fish, what could he do with your life if you put it in his hands?

[36:14] Because he wants to do something. That's what he's teaching these disciples. Because you know what he's going to do with these 12 men? He's going to change the world with them. Why? Because of their ability?

[36:24] Because of their education? No. You study the disciples, they are a ragtag group. You know why they were changed? The Bible says this in the book of Acts. Who are these unlearned and uneducated men?

[36:36] But we know one thing. They've been with Jesus. And it makes all the difference in the world. Would you stand with your heads bowed and with your eyes closed? Thank you.