When the Mountain Looks Too Big
Prairie Baptist Church – 1/10/10
A.M. Service
Text: John 6:1-14
Key verse: John 6:13 - Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
Premise: Sometimes we lose heart when the circumstances seems too great and vast, but we need to see and trust from God’s perspective and learn to rely on His bigger than life view of the situation.
The Introduction
George Mueller, speaking of the obstacles in the Christian’s life, said, “I say—and say it deliberately—trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith”
Talk about the text
Sometimes we see mountains and multitudes and think, “How can this ever work out?” or “I just don’t see a good solution to this.”
This is what the disciples were thinking, but they didn’t see the bigger picture.
They didn’t see the greater lesson that Christ was trying to teach them.
Sometimes, we miss the greater message on account of the mountain or the multitude.
We need to pay very close attention.
Body
1. God’s Outlook Concerning Life’s Mountains
A. God is never overwhelmed by circumstances
i. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend.
"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson replies, "I see millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?" asks Holmes
Watson ponders for a minute.
"Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant.Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.“
The after a pause, Watson says: “Well, Holmes, What does it tell you?"
Holmes is silent for a moment and then he speaks.
"Watson, you imbecile, can’t you see that someone has stolen our tent."
Unlike Holmes, God does not panic for anything.
ii. Jesus was not taken back by the huge number of people
iii. Jer. 32:17 - “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
iv. God is never surprised or shocked by anything
v. The God who is capable of creating and sustaining the universe will never be at a loss as to what to do with our “big deals.”
B. God does a lot with a little
i. Charles Eliet had a problem. He had a contract to build an engineering marvel—a suspension bridge over the Niagara River. But he had no way of stretching his first cable between the shores. Then Eliet had an idea: fly a kite across the river and use the cord to pull a larger cable across. Eliet announced a kite-flying contest, and young man named Homan Walsh responded. On Walsh’s second try he succeeded in flying his kite to the opposite shore of the river. The vital link was established and the bridge was built. Today in the Word, MBI Publ., October, 1995
ii. We might feel we are insignificant or unusable, but that is not what God thinks
a. 1st John 3:1 - Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! . . .
b. With God, it is not about size or strength or ability but being yielded and available – Zech. 4:6 - ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.
iii. He used:
a. Little Jonah to turn a city to God
b. Stuttering Moses to free the people of Israel
c. Teenage David to slay a giant
C. God sees beyond the mountain
i. We are of finite ability.
ii. We cannot see beyond our limitations
iii. Ps. 139:1-18 (possibly read)
D. Lessons learned on the mountain are of eternal value
i. Think of these instances for a moment:
a. Abraham and Isaac on Moriah – Abraham’s faith confirmed and Isaac an illustration of Jesus Christ, the perfect lamb.
b. Elijah challenged the priest of Baal on Mount Carmel – The power of God demonstrated.
c. Moses on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments
d. Christ teaching and going to pray
ii. James 1:3-4 - 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
2. Our Obligations Concerning Life’s Mountains
A. Attitude
i. We need to be like the 84 year old grandmother who fiercely maintained her independence and lived alone in the old family home. Her 4 children lived n the same town, but she rarely called them except in emergencies. It was with some apprehension, therefore, that one of her sons drove to her house one morning in answer to her phone call. When he arrived she said she suspected that there was a burglar in her bedroom closet, since she had heard noises in there the night before.
“Why didn’t you call me last night?” he exclaimed.
“Well,” she replied, it was late and I hated to bother you, so I just nailed the closet shut and went to bed.”
That’s the kind of attitude a Christian can have when faced with the impossible. Nail the door of fear shut and go to bed in calm assurance.
ii. Philippians 2:5 - Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
iii. God can use even me
a. Humble
b. Serving
c. Glorifying God
d. Willingness - The boy was willing to share his lunch with Jesus and ultimately thousands
B. Faith
i. The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us. John Emmons.
ii. Romans 1:17 - . . . “The just shall live by faith.”
iii. Faith is the day by day standard of living we operate by.
iv. We no longer live the limits of physical senses alone but in addition, we live by faith
a. In our decisions
b. In our outcomes
c. In our service to God
C. Confidence
i. Former French prime minister Georges Clemenceau fought many duels with various rivals. On one occasion, he surprised his second by asking the attendant at a Paris railroad station for a one-way ticket to the duel. “Isn’t that a little pessimistic?” asked the second. “Not at all,” Clemenceau replied. “I always use my opponent’s return ticket for the trip back.” Today in the Word, August, 1997, p. 35
ii. Phil. 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
iii. The strength of Christ is the only power source for our ability
iv. We can have confidence in all that we do because the Spirit of God is working in us and through us
D. Commitment
i. When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did.
ii. Heb. 12:1 - Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
iii. We need to stick with the stuff and stay alert.
iv. God is looking to bless those who, even when the seas are rough, will not jump ship.
v. We are all in this together and heading to the same destination
Conclusion:
(Unsaved) Has there ever been a time in your life when you admitted you were a sinner and trusted Jesus Christ as personal Savior? If not, today is the day of salvation.
(Christian)
Perhaps you have mountains facing you that are seemingly unmovable.
Maybe you are fearful of the outcome of something or are having difficulty in seeing the bigger picture.
Today is the day to change all that and make the decision to see things from God’s perspective and let Him have control.
