Sermon Central
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The Miracle Of Our Met Need - John 6
Contributed by Scott Spencer on Nov 6, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: Sometimes we can be surprised by needs. Often our needs hit our lives with such fury that it leaves us breathless or fearful. Unexpected bills come , poor health strikes without warning. Crises often arrive unannounced and unplanned. It might be helpful
The miracle of our met need - John 6
After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).
2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.
3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.
5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”
6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.
12 When they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
The citizens of Feldkirch, Austria, didn’t know what to do. Napoleon’s massive army was preparing to attack. Soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town, which was situated on the Austrian border. A council of citizens was hastily summoned to decide whether they should try to defend themselves or display the white flag of surrender. It happened to be Sunday, and the people had gathered in the local church.
The pastor rose and said, "Friends, we have been counting on our own strength, and apparently that has failed. As this is the day of our Lord’s resurrection, let us just ring the bells, have our services as usual, and leave the matter in His hands. We know only our weakness, and not the power of God to defend us." The council accepted his plan and the church bells rang. The enemy, hearing the sudden peal, concluded that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to defend the town. Before the service ended, the enemy broke camp and left.
The problem is not God; the problem is our attitude towards the provision of God.
We find three of those attitudes in John 6, the feeding of the 5000.
Therefore, when Jesus raised His eyes and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, "Where will we buy bread so these people can eat?" (John 6:5)
Quite suddenly Jesus and the disciples were confronted with an overwhelming need. Jesus did not respond as if something terrible or unusual has happened. A situation does not panic Jesus.
We will always have needs, it is the nature of being human. These bodies were not created to be without problems, they were not created to last forever. Life in this world was never intended to be without struggle. However, our Lord does intend for us to turn to Him when we have needs.
But sometimes we can be surprised by needs. Often our needs hit our lives with such fury that it leaves us breathless or fearful. Unexpected bills come , poor health strikes without warning. Crises often arrive unannounced and unplanned.
It might be helpful to remind ourselves that we will always need something. There is always something, but the fact that some needs surprise us does not mean that God is surprised. Far from being unprepared, our Father is well aware of our needs ahead of time, all of them.
We read that Jesus asked Philip where they could buy bread to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. (John 6:6)
When Jesus asked Philip where they were going to get the food to feed the huge crowd. Jesus was conscious of the need and already had a supernatural solution in mind, but was calling it to Philip's attention. It was a test!
More than any other life situation needs expose and test our internal support systems. Needs reveal the true object of our trust. Where do we turn for help in a crisis? Do we cry out to the Lord? Do we confidently trust Him to give what we need when we need it?
