Each and every one of us needs to understand that God has a purpose behind every problem, every situation and every circumstance. God uses circumstances to develop our character. In fact, he depends more on circumstances to make us like Jesus than he depends on our reading the Bible. We read the bible every once in a while, but we go through circumstances 24/7.
Jesus warned us that we would have problems in this world. No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering. No one gets to skate through life problem free. Life is a serious of problems. Every time you solve one, another is waiting to take its place. Not all problems are big, but God uses even the little ones in his growth process for us.
1 Peter 4:12 says “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you”.
God uses problems to draw you closer to himself. The bible says that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.”
Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days. When our heart is broken, when we feel abandoned, when we are out of options, when the pain is great, that’s when we turn to God the most. It’s during suffering that we learn to pray our most heartfelt prayers. When we are in pain we don’t have time for no superficial prayers we want to hear a word from the Lord.
We learn things about God in suffering that we can’t learn any other way.
God could have kept Joseph out of Jail. God could have kept Daniel out of the lion’s den. God could have kept Jeremiah from being tossed in a slimy pit. God could have kept the Shadrack, Meshak, and Abindigo from the fiery furnance, but he didn’t. He let those problems happen and every one of them was drawn closer to God because of what they went through. Regardless, what the cause, none of those problems could have happened without God’s permission. You’ll never know that God is all you need, until God is all you got.
We must realize this morning that sometimes God does not always move when we want him to. Sometimes God’s deliverance is delayed. And the reason that God sometimes delays his deliverence is so that you and I can go through the storm and learn exactly what he is trying to teach us. In order to get out of something you first have to go through it.
Joseph had to go through the jail in order to get out. Daniel had to go through the lion’s den in order to get out. Jeremiah had to go through the pit in order to get out. Shadrack, Meshak, and Abindigo had to go through the furnance of fire in order to get out. And sometimes, you and I have to go through our problems and our situations before God delievers us.
In our text this morning, Mathew paints a picture of the miracle working Jesus. In the miracle of the feeding of 5,000, these people had been following Jesus all day. His disciples felt that a crisis was brewing. There were so many people, and nothing for them to eat. They asked Jesus to send the people into the villages where they could buy themselves some food.
The Lord assured them that there was no need. Why should the people leave the one that can supply all their needs according to his riches in glory.
Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” The disciples were staggered. “Give them something to eat?” We don’t have anything but five loaves and two fish.
They had forgotten that they also had Jesus. This lesson point out that when we are willing to give Christ our little all, he multiplies it to feed thousands. These five thousand men who were fed had their hunger satisfied only for a short time, those today who feed upon the living Christ are satisfied for eternity.
The disciples going through a storm was a miracle that was a sequel to the feeding of the 5,000. As per custom, Jesus was working on the between system. And you do know that Jesus work’s on the between system don’t you? Somebody says, “Bro. Pastor what are you talking about?” (I’m glad you asked.) Between pour in and pour out, Jesus turned water into wine. Between breaking and distributing, Jesus got fish out of fish and bread out of bread. Between a dark backward and a bright forward, 10 lepers were healed. Between who touched me, and go tell, the woman with the issue of blood was healed. Between rise up, and take up they bed and walk, the man that had been at the pool of Betheseda for 38 years was healed. Between 195___ and 2004, he picked me up and turned me around.
So, between breaking and distributing, Jesus accomplishes the mission of feeding a multitude of people. The on looking crowd all of a sudden became convinced that Jesus was the looked for Messiah.
It’s interesting how some folk today still are not convinced that Jesus is the King of glory. That’s why every now and then he sometimes sends an earthquake, or a storm or a miracle in our lives to let us know that he is still God and he is still in control.
After witnessing the miracles of Jesus, they had decided as long as Jesus was with them, they didn’t need nobody else. They had it all planned out. The didn’t need no KP person,for they knew that if they got hungry that Jesus could speak and the stones could be turned to bread. They decided that they didn’t need no medic unit, for if anybody got sick or wounded all they had to do was to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and they would be healed. They had decided that they didn’t need no recruitment program for if anybody got killed, they knew that Jesus was able to raise them up from the dead. They knew that they were invincible with Jesus as their leader.
But, this was a bad situation. They were trying to repeat what Satan had tried to do. They wanted to help Jesus be king. They wanted to make Jesus King without the cross. They wanted to bypass Calvary. That’s why you find the situation when Jesus was in the wilderness. Satan told him I will make you King, just don’t go by Calvary. I will give you all of this, just don’t go by Calvary. It’s something about Calvary.
I want to let you know this morning that you can’t make Jesus King. And the reason that you can’t make Jesus King is that Jesus was King before the world was. John said in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. You can’t make Jesus King. He is King of king and Lords of Lords.
The disciples had began to think like the other folk. And you can see that because you can remember what James and John did don’t you? They brought with them their Mother, Salome, sister to May and thought that they might use some friendly family pesuasion whereby Jesus would give them seats on the right and left. They just knew that he was going to establish an earthly Kingdom. They didn’t get the point that Jesus said I will set up a throne, but if you make me king I will be king in Jerusalem. If you make me King I will be king of Israel. But I’m not going to set up my kingdom in Jerusalem, I’m going to set it in Mt. Zion, therefore, you will declare me to be King of the World.
Christianity is unique because of the Person, Jesus Christ. And what makes him so unique is that he is the God-Man. He is both God and Man. In other words he is both deity and humanity. Look at the deity (two fish, 5 loaves of bread, enough to feed 1 boy). Now look at the humanity (here is Jesus standing in the need of prayer, that’s human). You see God doesn’t need prayer. It is man that needs prayer. And while I’m on this subject, let me interject this. If Jesus had to pray what about you?
Here we are weak and feeble and finite, can’t see from moment to moment. Standing in the need of goodness, grace and mercy. If Jesus had to pray, what about you.\
So the bible says that Jesus went to the mountain to pray. And while he was praying he told the disciples to get into the boat and go back to the other side.
So the disciples were rowing in a boat and all of a sudden a storm breaks out.
Now, I just told you that Jesus was not only human, but he was deity. Now if Jesus is deity, don’t you suppose that maybe he knew that a storm was going to break out.
You do know what that means don’t you? It means that Jesus had sent his disciples into a storm.
One of the most remarkable things that I’ve discovered is that God will make you deal with a storm so you won’t have to deal with temptation. God will let you go into a storm in order to get your attention. God will let you go into a storm in order to keep your mind on him.
You know what happens, when you are in a storm, you don’t have time to think about temptation. When I’m in a storm I don’t have time to deal with temptation, bring me the word of God. When the storm rises, I want to fall down on my knees and say “Father I Stretch My Hands to Thee, No other help I know….” When the storm of life is raging, I want the Lord to stand by me. When I’m going through a storm, I want to say Precious Lord Take my Hand, Lead me on and let me stand.
So the bible says that the disciples were in the boat and the boat was far from land and the wind became contrary. The bad thing was that they were in the storm without Jesus.
It’s bad to be in a storm without Jesus. It’s bad to be in a storm without the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It’s bad to be in a storm without the one that said “If I’m with you….”
They couldn’t run down and say master the tempest is raging. They didn’t have nobody to say Peace be Still. I tell you my Bro. And Sis. If you got to go through a storm you better make sure that Jesus is on board.
So the bible says that he saw them. And to let us know that he sees us he makes us a promise. Hebrews 13:5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
A lot us don’t want to understand that God is not some bell boy. God does not move at our command. God is not some errand boy. It doesn’t matter how much you pray, God’s will will still be done. It doesn’t matter how much faith you have, God’s will will still be done. Nobody tells God what to do except God himself.
And sometimes when God delivers us we don’t want to give God the credit. When God delivers you, you ought to give God the praise. If God makes a way out of no way, you ought to give God the credit. If God opens a door for you, you ought to give God the credit.
Sometimes if God steps in too quickly, sometimes we will wind up taking the credit ourselves. If God steps in too quickly, we won’t give him the glory.
What God has to do every now and then is let us run into a storm. Every now and then God lets us run out of human options. And when we run out of human options, that’s when God steps in.
When man puts a period, God inserts an and. When man says no, God will change it to yes. When man closes the door, God has a key that will unlock any door that’s closed in your face.
Sometimes God delays his deliverence in order for us to give him the credit.
The bible says that it was about the 4th watch when Jesus came unto them. And the 4th watch is just before dawn. When you are in the 4th watch, that is the darkest hour. When you are in the 4th watch, you can’t see your way. When you are in the 4th watch, all hope is gone. God sometimes waits until the 4th watch.
Maybe somebody in here today has never been in the 4th watch. Maybe you have never gone through a storm. Maybe you have always been up and never down.
But I know that I have a witness that somebody in here has been in the 4th watch. Have you ever been down to your last dime and your bills are due and you didn’t have any money in your pocket and God stepped in, that’s the 4th watch. Have you ever been hungry or out of doors, couldn’t find your way. But God sent somebody alone the way to give you a helping hand, (that’s the 4th watch). Have you ever been sick on your bed of affliction and the doctors came in and said’ I’ve done all that I can do, but doctor Jesus steps in, (that’s the 4th watch).
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some good days, and I’ve had some bad days. (but in the 4th watch….). I’ve had some lonely nights. (but in the 4th watch)…. I’ve had some ups and down. The devil sometimes said that you ought to give up. He tried to snatch my life from me.. (but in the 4th watch the Lord stepped right in.)
I want to leave this with you this morning. If the Lord has been good to you. You ought to give him the praise. If the Lord has made a way out of no way, you ought to give him the praise. If the Lord has opened doors for you, you ought to give him the praise.
One day out yonder on calvary. They crucified my savior. They laid him in a borrowed tomb. But the bible says that it was the 4th watch and he rose from the grave with all power in heaven and earth in his hands. That’s why I’m gonna praise him. He may not come when you want him, but he’s always on time. Deliverance may be delayed, but it’s coming. Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy…. Joy…. Comes in the morning.
