[0:00] Amen. Luke chapter number 9. Wasn't that just fantastic? Thank you, ladies. Always good to have Broughton on the keys doing what he does so well over there.
[0:11] On the piano, people, if you're not picking up what I'm laying down here. It just sounds cooler when you say it like that, all right? And Broughton's cooler, so he needed that extra title there. But I love that, and what a great song for us.
[0:24] They sang the Savior of the world, and that's what Christmas is all about, is that Jesus Christ came to die for us. And we've sung about it today. We've sung about the rugged cross. We've sung about him being in a manger, and we just have so much to rejoice in.
[0:39] And I'm just so grateful today for all that he has done in bringing the gospel message to us so that we can know and we can rejoice in it today. So as we're going to look at Luke chapter number 9, I told you that it's looking at this idea that every member should be a minister, that God can use your life to minister to other people.
[0:58] And I want to encourage you in that today, that Jesus is more than enough to take what you have, offer the hymn to make a real difference in the life of other people.
[1:09] Josh Ewing and I went yesterday with our sons to play Airsoft, and that's kind of not our true title. There's nothing soft about Airsoft, we have learned. When you hit the ground, it's hard. When you get hit, it's hard.
[1:19] There's nothing soft about Airsoft. But one of the things that we quickly, we were joking about is when we went through this little orientation, and we're about to go out there and have people shooting at us, you know. Some teenager came up and said, all right, guys, before we go out here, we're going to divide up the AEGs, and then we're either going to do objectives or TMBs, and then he like said all this stuff.
[1:39] He's like, all right, let's go. Me and Josh looked at him and was like, I have no idea what he's talking about, you know. And so in the little orientation that he gave, he gave all kinds of acronyms and things that we didn't know about.
[1:50] And you had to know what was going on before that orientation would have helped you. And I looked at Josh and I said, I am afraid that I do that to our church too often.
[2:02] That I come up here and I use a lot of words, a lot of acronyms, and say things, and I never give any real explanation of what I'm talking about. And it's not just a problem I have, but you may have it as well when you're speaking to maybe your unbelieving friends because you love something so much that a few words mean something to you, but it doesn't mean necessarily to them.
[2:24] And so I'll be back to that place but to sit on the couch because I just felt like this isn't for me, all right? This isn't for me. And when I talk about ministry, I want to keep all of you on board with me because when we talk about it, I don't want you to think that I'm talking about something that you don't understand, that isn't for you, that's just for the people that are missionaries, that have their pictures on the walls, or maybe the person that taught your life group today.
[2:50] I'm talking about something that is for every one of us in here. I know it's not because you don't love Jesus, you're not willing to sacrifice, but sometimes because of weird terminology, we don't feel like we're ready for the battle zone or for the playing field, and we don't get engaged because we don't think we have anything to offer.
[3:08] But I want you to know that through you, God can make a big difference. Reading a book right now, we call it The Instruments in the Redeemer's Hand, People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change.
[3:19] And I love that subtitle, People in Need of Change Me, Helping People that are in Need of Change, All Those That I Will Meet. It says, An instrument is a tool that is actively used to change something, and God has called all of His people to be instruments of change in His redemptive hands.
[3:33] Embedded in the larger story of redemption is a principle we must not miss. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the lives of others.
[3:44] This morning I know that I have some friends and family in West Kentucky that are watching the service, and they are very much aware that they are surrounded by great need. They are also very much aware that they don't have much to offer because they are going through something.
[3:59] But God uses people in those moments to minister more than a generator, more than propane, more than some of these things. But God demonstrates His love to this world through ordinary people in extraordinary ways.
[4:14] And I am so grateful because I come up here today with nothing to offer any of you in here. But I didn't have to come up here with anything to offer you because He has something to give you, and I get to go and get it and then share it with you.
[4:30] And then I get to take it and share it with more people, and that's what we see. But before we get into the feeding of the 5,000, As the day would wear away, so would the disciples. Luke 9, 12, And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve and said unto Him, Send the multitude away.
[4:47] The day was coming to a close. It was wearing away. I love how it's expressed. But you can also tell that the disciples were wearing away. How did these people that had been sent out on a mission previously, that had seen Jesus do so many things, that God had been using in just an amazing way, How did they get to a place where they would say, Send the multitude away?
[5:08] Because they were wearing away. They were tired. I'm not just guessing this, but the passage will tell us here, that how did the disciples get to a point that they say, Send them away? They needed a break.
[5:19] Matthew 14, 13, it says, And Jesus heard of it. He departed thence by ship into a desert place apart. Jesus was intentionally taking His disciples to a desert place to spend time with them.
[5:32] If you look at the map at this time of Jesus' ministry, you're going to see Him crossing the sea here on many occasions. You're going to see Him in one part of town take off and go to another part of town.
[5:44] There's a lot of crisscrossing that you would say, It doesn't seem like it would be necessary. Like, why couldn't He just set up shop in one place and do His work? But there's a lot of movement going on, a lot of getting into a boat and going to the other side.
[5:56] One, because of Herod, he was prolonging his ministry, and that's spoken about in the verses we looked at. Herod was caught a fox. Herod was always tracking where Jesus was at, and so this is prolonging his ministry.
[6:08] There's an increased hostility by the Jewish leaders. He's avoiding Judea for a while because there's people there that are already getting plotting against him. There's the misguided zeal of the multitudes.
[6:21] After he gets done at this story of the feeding of the 5,000, it says in John that they say, Well, we want to make you king right now. Anybody that could feed all of us, you deserve to be king. And so he moves around to avoid that.
[6:34] Also, the disciples need more specialized training to understand who he is. He's spending more time with the disciples. But the last reason, but most certainly not the least important of the reasons, is that the disciples, they needed rest.
[6:49] This is one of eight times in the next three months, Jesus is going to say, Let's go, guys. Get on the boat. Hey, let's go because you guys are wearing away. They needed a rest.
[7:00] Jesus understood that they needed rest in need of provision. Isn't that wonderful? To know that Jesus would never call upon you to live at a rate in which he could not sustain you and meet your needs.
[7:14] That he built in rest in every part of our lives. We see that it's built in rest. You cannot go many days without sleep. He made you that way. He could have chosen differently. He taught us the principle of the Sabbath day that are there.
[7:26] But even in the life of the disciples, Jesus took responsibility for the rest of his disciples. And what a good and compassionate king that we have.
[7:37] And I just love this and that we see this. He took them for rest. Mark 6 31. And he said to them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while. He didn't say how long.
[7:48] Because we're going to see it didn't last very long. But he said, Let's come apart and rest a while. And the disciples, They not only needed rest, But they needed a moment to mourn. Luke 9 10. And it says, He told him all that they had done.
[8:01] The disciples are meeting with Jesus, And they told him all that had been done. What was it that had been done? That was answered in verse 9. John has been beheaded. That Jesus and the disciples had learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded.
[8:15] And the disciples bring this message to Jesus. They leave the multitudes. They go to this mountain place, And they're resting a little bit. They're mourning a little bit. This would be quite the shock to these people.
[8:27] They would realize this is real. Like people are dying for this cause. John the Baptist, the forerunner, He has died. They're probably processing the fact that If John the Baptist died, Then it's very likely we are going to die.
[8:40] We know that Jesus wept. We know that Jesus mourns when he sees people that are hurting. He experienced awe. Luke 2, and as we went through this, Seeing the birth of Christ, We know that he experienced this on an emotional level with the disciples.
[8:55] But imagine the moment when the crowd came needing something from these men. So there they are in a desert place. And these things, John 6, 1, And these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, Which is the Sea of Tiberias.
[9:07] And a great multitude followed him, Because they saw his miracles, Which he did on them that were diseased. They get on a boat to leave the people, And the people follow him to his next stop.
[9:19] You with me? He can't get away from them. Some of you moms will know exactly what this is like, right? And wherever you go, Your kids do not give you a break. I won't get into details, But they follow you everywhere.
[9:30] You never get a break. They just follow you to every room, And everywhere you go. Where there's Jesus and the disciples, They're leaving, But the people are like, Alright, there he is. Alright, they're running along the bank, Whatever it took, That no, ever wherever he went, The multitudes were following.
[9:45] And Jesus went up into a mountain, And there he sat with the disciples, Verse 3, And the Passover feast of the Jews was nine. Here's the Passover coming. We're getting to sit down with Jesus.
[9:56] We're mourning the loss of John the Baptist. We just had this busy season of ministry, Where he had sent us out on our own, Two by two, And in the city. And don't misunderstand, When you hear desert place, Don't picture sand.
[10:11] Picture that it was an isolated place. There's many villages around there, Of many people, But not in the surrounding areas. There's a sea that is nearby. They're up in a mountain area.
[10:22] It could be very green. But it was desert, Meaning he took them to an isolated place. He took them to a place where you would expect to be alone. He took them to a cabin in Gatlinburg.
[10:32] Alright? He went to a place getting away from all those things. And then John 6, 5, It says, And when Jesus, So they were in this place, They're sitting down, And when Jesus lifted up his eyes, And saw a great company come unto him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?
[10:52] So they sit down, They get into their place, And then immediately, Here come the multitudes. And Jesus says, Here's people that we need to care for. Disciples will be asked to minister to others when they are empty.
[11:04] Luke 9, 13. We have no more but five loaves and two fishes. So you guys over here that I picked on a lot, A lot, alright? About every Sunday here lately, okay? I'm not going to do that again.
[11:16] So if I could get Jonathan's row, And I could get everybody on the row behind them, Penrod all the way down, The shoemaker, If you could come up here, We're not going to do a drama. I just want to thank you guys for your participation, Alright?
[11:28] And other times. So in my way of saying thank you to you guys, This is not a drama, Trust me, okay? This is a, I would just like you guys to come sit around. Let's just have a little picnic together, alright?
[11:39] So have a seat. Some of you sit there. And I just want to show my appreciation, Because in other times, You guys have helped me act things out. Everybody get a seat, get comfortable, alright? And so, I just wanted to show my appreciation to you guys, And have a meal.
[11:54] And so I got this chicken, This kid's meal, Fish sandwich, Fries and apples. I didn't get two fries. I'm not that kind of parent, okay? I got fries and apples. And so I got the kid's meal here for you this morning.
[12:06] And I was just thinking that maybe you guys could share this kid's meal among yourselves, alright? And so that's what I wanted to do. I didn't want to do a drama this morning.
[12:18] I didn't want to get you involved in the sermon. I'm just showing my appreciation to you. But actually, wait. Before you guys split that happy meal up, There's about 170 other people out here.
[12:29] They're also going to need to eat, okay? So I'm going to need you. How appropriate. I gave it the lunchbox, alright? This happy meal here. I'm going to need you to take this happy meal And spread it out among all the people in here.
[12:44] And then afterwards, you guys take care of yourself. Do you know that proportionately the miracle of the lunchbox at Vision Baptist Church would not be as big as the miracle that we see in this passage?
[12:57] It's unbelievable. So here are these people. They're tired because they're teenagers Sunday morning. So of course they're tired, right? They're tired. They're just spent. They have no resources.
[13:08] They're starting to plan a meal for themselves. But they don't have anything. And then here comes this multitude of people. They all look hungry, don't they? When I talk about food in church, everybody lights up, alright?
[13:19] And so all these people in here, they're hungry. And now you have the responsibility to take that. And what would you say? What is this among so many people? We just can't.
[13:30] And so you're going to see the reaction. And it's going to make sense. They're tired and they're weary. And they're going to just say, come on. You know, really? Do you really expect that we can do this? Thank you guys for not helping me in a drama this morning.
[13:42] Just for that appreciation that we had. Alright, you can take this with you, alright? There's no food in it. I got hungry after I got the kids' meal. Alright? Didn't want to waste it on an example. You don't know if it was in there or not.
[13:54] And so here's the question. Oh yeah, this was a question I wanted to ask while they were up there. Imagine, will Jesus ever ask you to do more than you can handle? And the answer is, we sure hope so.
[14:09] We better hope so. Because if Jesus never asks us to do more than we can handle, then we never get to be involved in His ministry to this world.
[14:20] Will Jesus do more than we can handle? Kara, I have a case example here, right? I have a case example where He asked people to do something that they were not capable of doing.
[14:31] Which was to feed 5,000 people with not enough resources. So don't tell me that He won't ask you. I have an example here, but I also have it in my life, and I believe you have it as well.
[14:43] If He does not, then we are never truly involved in being ministers of grace. There's many great organizations that can collect what we have and give to others. But this is more than an organization that takes what we don't have, but what He has, and we give it to other people.
[14:59] There are many great organizations that take what we have and give it to other people. But we are more than an organization. We are a living body that takes what we don't have from the hands of Jesus and gives it to this world.
[15:11] We just do not feel capable of being used by God to meet the needs of others. What are they among so many? God provides more than the provision needed, but His presence. If you look at verse number 17 and 18, just look at it there in your Bible.
[15:25] Between verses 17 and 18 in the book of Luke, you're going to find in the other gospel records that there's 12 major events that take place. In the book of Luke, at the end we'll see that those 12 stories aren't told.
[15:38] In the book of Luke, there is a bookend, a question on both sides. But one of those 12 stories that isn't told in the book of Luke is the story of Jesus walking on the water.
[15:49] And that story only takes place in about five or six verses. And it comes right after Jesus feeds the 5,000. And He tells them, and the disciples go out onto a boat. And we don't find that this story of Jesus coming to the disciples out on the boat is being told any other place.
[16:05] I mean, we read it in Scripture, but it isn't like they get off the boat and tell the story. Jesus is doing this for the disciples. After the feeding of the 5,000, He says, let's dig a little deeper. I want to help you see, not only am I going to help meet the needs when you don't think you have anything, but I'm going to be there when you don't expect me to be there.
[16:24] John 6, 17, and He entered into the ship, and He went over to the Sea of Capernaum, and it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them, highlighting the fact that Jesus isn't among them.
[16:35] And the sea arose by reason of great wind that blew. A strong storm had come in, one that makes you just feel vulnerable, one where you just don't know which way the wind's going.
[16:46] And so what do you do, verse 19? And when they had rowed about five and 20 or 30 furloughs, Jesus isn't with them. Now the storm is here.
[16:56] Jesus had been with us before in a storm, and He calmed it. But Jesus isn't with us right now. And so what can we do? We're going to row with everything in us to try to get out of this storm.
[17:08] And they see Jesus walking on the sea, drawing nigh unto the ship, and they were afraid. They minister of our own ability. To minister outside of our own ability and provision is where real ministry is going to happen.
[17:23] Is that in a moment when you don't feel like you're all alone, Jesus will show up and He can meet the need. That's what He takes them. He says, if you think that's something, I was among you, and I was able to meet the need.
[17:38] But I'm going to tell you that when you're in a storm of life, and you don't even think that I came with you into that storm, I will show up and my presence will be there to help you.
[17:48] What a great lesson He taught the disciples. And He recorded it for you because you are His disciples. And He wants you to know that as well. 1 Corinthians 13, 3 says, Really?
[18:09] I give everything I own the charity, and it doesn't profit anything? I would even take myself and become a martyr and have myself burned at the stake, and it profiteth me nothing?
[18:20] Nothing? Charity requires God's grace shown through us. That only what I've done through the love of Christ will make any difference in this world. God is only pleased in what He produces in and through us.
[18:35] It wouldn't matter if they had the provision to feed the 5,000. That's not what the story was about. The story is about Him taking their lack of provisions and meeting their needs so that they would see that He is the bread of life.
[18:49] That's what the miracle is. And so God is only pleased in what He produces in and through us. God is not looking to our provisions and our abilities, but to our heart. 2 Corinthians 9, 7, Every man, according as he had purposed in his heart, let him give, not grudgingly of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver.
[19:08] As he purposed in his heart the cheerful giver. You know, our ushers have already counted the offering. The bank likes it when we count the money before we give it to them, right? They counted the offering that God had before that time.
[19:21] He had counted the hearts of cheerful givers. Because that's what He was asking for today. He was looking to give through people today and honor and worship to Him.
[19:32] Those you minister to may never fully recognize the miracle that it took for you to minister to them in that moment. As those guys were getting up and they were handing these things out.
[19:44] And it's not an easy task. They're setting 5,000. That's 5,000 men. Not counting the women and the children. Maybe 15,000 to 20,000 people being set in groups of 50 that get ready for a meal.
[19:59] And they're going about doing that. And they didn't know that these people had been weary. They didn't know that these people had been mourning. But God was sustaining them. Sometimes when you're ministering to people, people have no idea what it's taking for you to minister to them.
[20:15] But it's the grace of God sustaining you when you're doing it. What a wonderful place to be, right? When you go to help somebody and you'd say, I couldn't even be standing today if it wasn't for God.
[20:26] We do not know if those that received the meal even understood the full miracle of what was going on. We don't know the reaction. So there's the disciples. They're handing it out.
[20:38] And as they would give people the food, the people would say thank you. And the disciples would say, it's my pleasure. Have you guys been paying attention at all, right? Of course the disciples said, it's my pleasure, all right? And so they would say, it's my pleasure.
[20:50] Because that's what good Christians say when you give them something, all right? And so they would say, it's my pleasure. But not to add to the story, but to imagine what's happening here. You know they had to be saying, hey, this didn't come from me.
[21:03] I had nothing to give you today. I had nothing to eat myself. On the other side of this hill is this man named Jesus. And he took what this little boy had and he has been multiplying it.
[21:14] And he gave it to me and I'll now give it to you. And I'm going to go back and I'm going to get more. Because it appears that he has a boundless supply of whatever we need. And they're just giving it out.
[21:25] And the joy that these people who were weary are now rejoicing. Because God chose to do it that way. He could have went Old Testament. He could have had it fall from the sky and what a miracle.
[21:37] But that wouldn't have included his disciples. So instead of letting it fall from heaven, he says, come and get it. I'm going to hand it to you and you go hand it to them. How wonderful is that?
[21:48] And so as they're handing this out and they're pointing people to Jesus. Just like when the crowd came to the disciples during the time of rest. They seem oblivious to what God was doing to provide for them.
[22:01] He says in John 6, 26. But because you did not eat of the loaves. Because you ate of the loaves and you were filled. So the people that they were ministering to. They were the people who also showed up and didn't seem to notice.
[22:12] That Jesus and the disciples needed a moment. They're just oblivious. They're getting the food and they're not really caring where it came from. They're not recognizing how much strength it took in the disciples to be serving that day.
[22:24] They didn't recognize the miracle of the provision. They just said, hand me my happy meal. Give me what I want because I am just consuming upon myself. That nice word that you say to the co-worker.
[22:36] They may not know that it was a miracle that you didn't say something else, right? That it was the grace of God sustaining you. You may sacrificially give a gift to somebody this Christmas season. And they have no idea what God has done in your life this year.
[22:48] Just to keep you afloat. You may offer forgiveness to someone. And they don't know what it was only possible. Because of the miracle forgiveness that Jesus Christ gave to you.
[23:00] And he died for your sins. And he rose again. And that was a miracle that took place. That now allows you to minister to other people. You know it. And they may never know. Giving of yourself will wear you out.
[23:12] Giving what Jesus has given to you will strengthen you. Romans 12, 13 says, Distributing to the necessity of the state of the saints. Given the hospitality.
[23:23] Given the hospitality. You give of yourself. You're giving of yourself. But what came before that verse, which is so important. Before we had to give of ourselves.
[23:34] Verse 12 of Romans 12. It says, Rejoice in hope, patient in tribulation. Continuing instant in prayer. These are feeling ministries. Rejoicing. Waiting on the Lord.
[23:45] Being in prayer. Jesus fills the baskets. Before he asks you to go distribute them to the hungry. Before he asks you to give yourself the hospitality.
[23:55] He's going to meet with you in prayer. He's going to give you patience. He's going to cause you to rejoice. Jesus is meeting the weariness of these disciples. Not in the way that you would expect them to.
[24:07] It wasn't just them escaping. And just getting away from everything. But it was him taking them to the middle of it. And saying, I know that you feel empty. And you don't feel like you can meet the needs of these people. But I'm going to do it through you.
[24:20] And can you imagine what that did. Into the life of those disciples. And they rejoiced. I hope my mom's watching today. Yes, I'm a mama's boy. Make fun of that.
[24:30] All that you want. Okay. And so we have a story that took place one Christmas. When I came home. And my mom. Or single mom raising us at this time. My stepdad had already passed away.
[24:41] And she had a cake that fell apart. And we call it the crumble cake Christmas. Told you I was a mama's boy. Okay. Sorry about this. And so when we came in.
[24:51] She had this pathetic looking cake. I mean it was just falling apart. And she said, we need to take this to people. And so we went to the shut-ins. And we went to different people. And we gave them the crumble cake.
[25:03] That my mom had made. That was falling apart. Because she felt like. As a single mom. She wasn't giving her kids all the things they needed. She felt like this cake. Was falling apart.
[25:15] She felt completely. Empty. But she said. God's given me this cake. And we're going to go share it with some people. And I'm a pastor today.
[25:26] Because my mom said. You don't have to have anything. For God to use your life. To give it. To other people. And so. That Christmas. I'll never forget.
[25:37] The Christmas of the crumble cake. Matthew Henry says. Ministers can never fill people's hearts. Unless Christ fills. Their hands. That Christmas. We got to fill the hearts of some people.
[25:48] Because Christ had filled our hands with something. That was very small. And so we went out. So after serving the people. That were left. They were left with a basket of peace.
[26:00] You will never out give God. When you serve. Jesus was saying. When you serve me. And you give. And you give. Until you think you can give no more. Jesus will take care of you. He will always be enough for you.
[26:12] When you feel like you have nothing. Jesus will meet all your needs. And he will give you abundantly more. Than you could ever ask or think. Not because more than enough. When. Because. Not enough becomes more than enough.
[26:23] When placed into the hands. Of Jesus. And so when you feel like you're overwhelmed. With all that is needed. The feeding of the 5,000. You feel so inadequate. Not only will God give you the resources.
[26:35] To feed them. But he will give you bread. And he will give you more bread. And he will give you so much more. They were sitting there with nothing to eat. At the end of it. They're not weary. They're rejoicing. They're not without.
[26:46] Now they have 12 baskets. God gave them something so beautiful. As he gave through them. What a beautiful moment in the ministry of the disciples. That contrast. A small group of people. With nothing to eat.
[26:56] Mourning the loss of their friend. Now they are sitting with 15 to 20,000 people. That are all being fed. And knowing that God had used them. To do something. That was miraculous.
[27:07] What a contrast there. The simple scene of them reclining together. In fellowship. Paints a picture. Of the community. That Jesus seeks to provide. That we could be surrounded by people.
[27:18] That God met their needs through us. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Wouldn't that be wonderful? That God would allow that to happen among us. The miracle provision obviously indicates how Jesus meets needs.
[27:29] Jesus provides more than we need. Matthew Henry also goes on to say. Those whom Christ feeds. He fills. Whom he feeds. He fills. I told you last week.
[27:40] That one of my greatest fears. Was my iPad freezing up. And not having my notes printed off. Well I'm going to tell you. One of Miss Sandy's greatest fears in here. Okay. And maybe there's some others of you in here. But I know it's Miss Sandy's greatest fear.
[27:51] All right. One of Miss Sandy's greatest fears. Is that we will have a church dinner. And there will not be enough food. For everybody. All right. And I see it on her face. Every meal. And then she loves it.
[28:01] Because she'll say. How many people are you expecting this man? I say. Between 200 and 500 people. All right. And she's like. That isn't helpful. All right. And then Greg will be like. Oh no. We're going to trust God for 5,000.
[28:13] I put it on every social media account. I don't know. Miss Sandy. Just have a lot of food here. All right. And so that's her greatest fear. And can I tell you. Those whom Christ feeds. He fills.
[28:24] I don't know how that bread was going out. I don't know how it got divided up. But let me tell you what that meal did. It filled people. That was the best meal anybody ever had. They were completely filled by everything they had.
[28:35] They weren't wanting more. Because they were fed from the hand of God. Whatever amount came out. It was enough to fill them. And there's a secondary key to the miracle here. And it's that the provision comes through the disciples.
[28:48] What an incredible opportunity. Now surrounded by probably they said 204 villages and towns that have more than 50 people. Think Ducktown and Matt and Drew and Cole Mountain.
[29:00] This area of Galilee is about the fourth the size of Forsyth County. It's about South Forsyth. The Sea of Galilee. About the fourth the size of Lake Lanier. And they're in this area. And there's 50,000 people now that have their needs met by Jesus.
[29:14] And they're all going to go back to their towns and tell what God had done. And so I want to ask you, how do we evaluate the needs of others? Jesus looked upon them in Mark 6, 20, 34.
[29:26] And he says, these are sheep that don't have a shepherd. That's what he saw. When people walked up to them and he needed rest and he was weary, he saw people that were sheep that needed shepherds that came to them.
[29:37] Jesus also knew that they were people that were coming to just get their felt needs met. Just food. Jesus knew that. He said, Jesus, don't you know that they're just coming for bread? And Jesus says, I know. You don't think that I know this?
[29:48] Jesus knew what they were just coming for. But he knew that they had a deeper need. They only felt the hunger for bread. But it brought them to him. And he says, I'm going to meet your every need, starting with the first need, the one that you are aware of.
[30:02] Then you have O Philip. And he pulls out the calculator. And I have a picture here for you, for you math geeks. In John 6, 7, it says, 200 penny worth of bread is not sufficient. All right? So here's Philip.
[30:13] All right? He's being the little nerd that he is. All right? And he starts doing this math. And he says, 5 plus 2 times the kid that has the lunch plus the 12 disciples. That equals, well, what we started with.
[30:24] All right? All right. That equals one happy meal. But then he says, but what Jesus has when we give him the fish and we give him the bread, somehow that's going to equal that over 15,000 people are going to be fed.
[30:39] So what is the difference between X, the kid with the lunch, and Y, Jesus? The difference is everything. It's the multiplying factor. It's the difference between keeping what you have to yourself, which will feed one person, and giving it to Jesus, which will feed 20,000 people.
[30:55] And so Philip is placed in the story to be you because you bring out your calculator and you begin to calculate. And you just say, I don't have enough to feed the people. But you forget the multiplying effect of what happens when you place your life into the hand of Jesus.
[31:10] Whatever you start with is always going to be enough. And we can trust God to serve the hungry even when we believe our lunch isn't fully packed for ourselves. When you don't think that you have enough for your family, when you don't think that you even know how you're going to eat at the end of the day, even before your lunch is fully packed, you can know you can trust God to give what he gives you unto other people.
[31:34] So will Jesus provide for you? Are you struggling to believe it? Because when you do the math, it just doesn't add up. I know a few of you guys are reading Pilgrim's Progress in here. And Zach, Mr. Save All, he represents the desire to make sure that we all look out for number one, looking upon our needs before the needs of others.
[31:53] And he's the companion of buy-in, which is just to take care of yourself, right? This is a season more than any other season that says look out for yourself.
[32:04] Look out for your family. You don't have the ability to give anything because you don't even have your lunch fully packed for your own family. And for your own kids. And Jesus said, Before the miracle of the basket that I'm going to give to the disciples, let's do the miracle of me multiplying it and you giving to those around you.
[32:20] God can always make it add up. You will never be able to outgive God. 2 Corinthians 9, 8. And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work.
[32:34] He will make it abound. As you seek first the kingdom of God. And it says that the leftovers were for the servers. Mark 8, 17. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye because you have no bread?
[32:46] Perceive you not, neither understand. Have you your heart yet hardened? That God gives the leftovers to the servers. What a wonderful thing, isn't it? That when you're feeding of the 5,000, that God is going to make more than enough for you.
[33:01] Not just enough for those around you, but enough for you as well. They did not understand the meaning of the leftovers. Namely, that Jesus would take care of them as they take care of others.
[33:12] God wants to use us to bring the bread of life to a needy world. God can use a very small thing if it's committed to him. Jesus only works when resources are put into his hands in a willing consecration to him.
[33:25] So I want you to evaluate the needs around us by Jesus in our presence. Just like Jesus showed up that day and he walked on the water, the thing that those people didn't recognize, it wasn't the lack of resources, it wasn't the fact that there wasn't a market around the corner, it didn't matter, the fact that there was 15,000.
[33:40] Jesus was in their presence. Remember, I told you there's 12 omitted events in verses 17 and 18, because in Luke it's framing in the story here, which is, who is this man?
[33:51] Who is this man that meets the needs? At the beginning of the story and the end of the story, the question isn't about where's the bread going to come from. The question isn't about what capabilities do you have. The question is, who is this man in the middle of the story?
[34:03] And it's King Jesus. That Jesus, his presence in your life ought to make you know that he can use you to meet any of the needs of those around you. So this is a season of much coming and going.
[34:15] How many of you would say that this is a season of much coming and going? Amen? A lot of coming and going. Mark 6, 31. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while, for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
[34:33] Man, if that doesn't explain the Christmas season for so much of us. Coming and going, not even time to eat. It really will be an easy season to believe a few things here.
[34:46] This season of rest is just about me and my family. That's what you could tell yourself. That when you're sitting there and you're there and you think this is just a season of rest for us, that you need to be attentive.
[34:59] But they're not going to walk up to you on the mountain. But you're going to get the phone call. The things of life that you believe are going to take you away are going to lead you into a ministry of leftovers that is way greater for your family.
[35:12] Let me try to say that again. I know the time is late. But just like that Jesus was there with the disciples and they could be kind of self-centered and says, this is about time for us to eat. This is time for us to get rest. And this other problem comes to them.
[35:24] This multitude of problems come to them. And they would want to ignore the problem. What Jesus is saying, the thing that your family needs is on the other side of the ministry. That you need to take your sons.
[35:36] You need to go deliver crumble cake. You don't need to shut the door and just become a family of eating cake by yourself. That the interruptions during Christmas season may be the greatest gifts that your family is going to have.
[35:48] And you need to look for them and you need to be attentive to them. Another thing that we believe around Christmas is I don't even have enough for me and my family. How can I worry about the needs of others?
[35:59] Know that what the world needs is not something that you could offer them even if you had it. But God wants to provide through you. That you have more than enough to meet some of the needs of those that are around you.
[36:10] And then that lie that we always believe is I have nothing to give. This is how one of the greatest miracles ever started. Once upon a time, some disciples had nothing to give, but Jesus was in their presence.
[36:23] That's how every great story starts. Once upon a time, my family had nothing to give, but Jesus was in our presence. And he gave through us in a way that strengthened us and gave us glorious leftovers and met our needs in ways that we would never could even imagine.
[36:40] So I want to ask you here to remember this, that not enough becomes more than enough when placed into the hands of Jesus. I've asked Tracy to help us and Kristen to sing a song for us that's called More Than Enough.
[36:55] And as they sing that song, I would like for you to respond to the Lord. Maybe it's to sing along with them as the words are going to be on the screen, or maybe it's to come to an altar. But I want you to communicate to God, our Father, that you recognize that Jesus is more than enough.
[37:13] I have a lot going on, I understand. But this could be a wonderful season of ministry if you would let God meet some of the needs around you, not based on who you are and what you have, but based upon who He is and what He has.
[37:28] Heavenly Father, Father, I'm asking that you would meet the needs of our surrounding community by giving an abundance to my friends and brothers and sisters in Christ in here.
[37:39] Lord, I'm certain that those that are in here that just feel empty today, Lord, who just do not think that you could use them. That ministry sounds like something that is not for them, that's confusing.
[37:50] But Lord, I pray that you will make it evidently clear that you want to use their life in a very special way to meet the needs of those that are around them. With every head bowed, and every eye closed, and before I continue in prayer, my heart goes out to you and here today, if you're hungry, that if you don't know the bread of life, that you may have food in your refrigerator, but there is a hunger and a craving that you have in your heart that has never been met by Jesus, the bread of life.
[38:17] And I just tell you as somebody who had nothing that went to Jesus and He fed, that I can tell you where there is food today. I can tell you where there's an all-satisfying Savior and if you're in here today and you're hungry and you don't know the Lord, would you raise your hand and I can tell you how to get to Him.
[38:35] I'll tell you how to go to the counseling room. I will tell you how to meet Jesus today and eat where you'll never be hungry again. God 1947, Godathan, Lord.
[38:51] through you and gehe to Him above. you