A Little Goes A Long Way
JCC 07.02.10 pm
John 6:1-13
The odds were 5,000+ to five ‘small’ loaves and two fish
With Jesus the odds don’t count
These people would not normally be in Galilee but on their way to Jerusalem because it was Passover time
Why were they here?
They had seen Jesus do miracles etc
Jesus left the people and got into boat
They didn’t give up but ran over rough country until they found Jesus again
Jesus had a Passover meal with the people
Let us look at the situation from the viewpoint of the boy, the disciples and Jesus
The boy:
He is not named, we are not told who he is or where he is from or how old he was
We know he had a lunch with him
He had come prepared to hang around for a long time
Not only had God ordained the lunch, but he had prepared the boy to be his provision
The Lord is never in need, he always has somebody at hand to supply the need
We are told that he was willing to give what little he had to Jesus
Sometimes we think we have to offer all the big things to the Lord and the small things in our lives are insignificant
Nothing is too small for Jesus to use
You may not have much to offer him in your own eyes, but everything you are, everything you have he is interested in, no matter how small
This child trusted Jesus with everything he had
Like the woman who cast in the two mites to the treasury, he gave his all, and doubtless was commended for the gift
He didn’t hang on to it
‘It’s mine and I’m eating it’
He was a giver
But most of all, he was willing to help if he could
All the Lord wants from us is a willingness to help where we can even if it is only in a small way
The disciple Philip:
They had been with him for 2 years while he healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demons
They themselves were also being used by the Holy Spirit to do great things
Yet here they were faced with 5,000+ people and Jesus asks Philip to feed them
Why Philip?
To test him
Examination time
Perhaps most advanced
Peter was loud and mouthy, most of the time his feet were in his mouth
James and John were ambitious, fiery and lost their tempers easily
That’s why Jesus called them sons of thunder
Philip was quite and deep
He hung around in the background
He would most likely understand what was happening
When Jesus asked him, he knew what he was going to do
He set him a predicament that had no human answer to
Have you been there?
What was his reaction?
Jesus was thinking of ministry, Philip thought of money But we don’t have enough money
There is a Philip in all of us
Not only supply the people physically, but spiritually
The church is in the world to speak truth that they may find real food
The difference between the supply and the demand would have struck us much more intensely if we had been there, in that crowd at Bethsaida, than it does sitting here, two thousand years after, and just hearing about it
It’s the sharing of the word that this area needs
We must communicate the message
Not television but telaperson
Everyone whether Christian or not would have reacted the same
The disciple Andrew:
All he could find in the crowd was the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish
They were judged insufficient for the purpose; for Andrew said, "What are they among so many?"
Satan may say to you, "You have not much ability, or talent or resources; what can you do?"
Or about the church, what can you do with so few?
He is afraid of what you can do and the church
If you will only do what you can do, God will help you to do what now you cannot do
But the devil is afraid of even the little that you can do now; and many children of God seem to side with Satan in despising the day of small things
"What are they among so many?"
So few, so poor, so devoid of talent, what can any of us hope to do?
Is it a small wonder if we are held in contempt by the world?
The things that God will honour, man must first despise
But we are all God desires, we are all he needs
And that meal was all Jesus needed
We may be a small church but it is enough
Though we are not many, the Lord can use us
A few people in His hands is like a mighty army
We must not look at the little we have, but the all in all he has
Did Andrew go out looking after he heard Jesus ask Philip?
There was so much simplicity in Jesus’ actions
Jesus didn’t make a noise about it, or draw attention to himself, he just gave thanks
When did the miracle take place?
In the baskets as they went round?
Where did the 12 baskets come from?
They were the disciples baskets that they would carry around
Who had taken them?
He kept on giving to the disciples
It took place in the hands of Jesus
Every miracle takes place in the hands of the Lord
When everyone was fed, to the full, they cleaned up
Jesus:
Was Jesus showing them how selfish they were?
The bead and fish were transferred into the hands of Christ
A moment ago, they belonged to the boy, but now they belong to Christ
"Jesus took the loaves."
He has taken possession of them; they are now his property
Do you mean what you say when you declare that you have given yourselves to Christ?
If you have made a full transfer, then there will lie great power for usefulness when you are in his hands
As these loaves were given to Jesus, so they were accepted by him
They were not only dedicated, they were also consecrated
Jesus took the five barley loaves and the two little fish, and in doing so he seemed to say, "These will do for me."
The Revised Version puts it like this, "Jesus therefore took the loaves."
Was there any reason why he should? Yes, because they were brought to him; they were willingly presented to him
There was need of them, and he could work with them, "therefore" he took the loaves
The Lord would have us distribute what we have, and we could meet the needs of Jacksdale
A Christ who could feed five thousand can feed five million
There is no limit
Never limit the Lord
Now I want to turn your attention to the crowd
Over 5,000 people
Yet from these 5,000+, the one was pulled out
The focus centred on just one
You may feel lost in the crowd, but the Lord has his eye on you
You may feel small and insignificant, nothing to give him, but he has his eye on you and wants to have you in his hands too
Offer yourself to the miracle working God and see him multiply your life
Give your life to him, offer him everything and see a miracle happen
What do you have to lose by giving yourself to him?
If you are away from him, come back and offer what you have
If you have unbelief, ask him to help you believe for bigger and better things
If you are selfish and storing up your talents and resources, then pray for forgiveness
