The absolute power of Jesus.
The significance of the fourth sign in the Gospel of John is that Jesus is able not
only to give life but to sustain the life that he gives. This is the only
miracle of Jesus apart from the resurrection that is recorded in all
four Gospel accounts. The scene is absolutely impossible in the eyes of
men, but to Jesus it is merely an opportunity to display his absolute
power. He uses this occasion, brothers and sisters, to showcase his ability to
overcome any and every situation. Walk with me around the text. They are out in
this wilderness. They are out beyond the sea of Galilee. Jesus has already healed
a man on the Sabbath day in chapter 5 by telling him to rise, take up your bed,
and walk. There was a nobleman's son who was at the point of death, and he came
and found Jesus, and Jesus didn't even go home with him. He just spoke the word,
and the boy was healed. He was at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, and an
embarrassing situation arose when they ran out of wine, and Jesus told him to
fill some ordinary water pots with ordinary water, and between the dipping
and the sipping, it becomes extraordinary wine. Jesus is Lord over nature.
He's Lord over creation. Jesus is not only Lord of life, but he can sustain the
life that he creates. They are out in this desert place, and Jesus is on the
other side of the lake, and the crowds are following him. The crowds are fronging him.
He can't get any break. He can't get any rest. He has no surcease from the press of
the crowd. I want you to get this. The Bible says the crowds are there, not for
the word, but for the miracles. What did you come here for? I wish I had somebody
to help me preach. What motivated you to get up this morning to come to church?
Are you here because God's been good to you? Or is there some ulterior motive,
some reason to be seen, some hookup you want, some kind of
in the back of your mind agenda that you have going on? Because if you came here
for the wrong reason, God came bless you. But if you woke up with your mind
stayed on Jesus, and if you're here because you need God not only to give
life, but to sustain the life that he gives, Jesus is available to make that
happen. The crowds are pressing him, and Jesus has been talking and teaching them
all day long, and in the middle of the day, he could have chosen that opportunity
to raise the question. Where can we buy bread to feed all these people? But Jesus
waits, Mark says, until evening time. Matthew says the day is far spent. Jesus
waits until all the HEBs are closed, and everybody is aware that something's got
to happen. In the Gospel of Matthew, one of the disciples said, Lord send these
people away. Let them go buy some food. Jesus said, no, you feed them. But in
John's Gospel, Jesus waits until the last minute to ask, where can we buy bread to
feed these people? Yes, Philip. Philip? Where can we buy bread? It makes sense that
Jesus would first ask Philip where they might purchase bread, since Philip was
from nearby Bethsaida, and he would know where the local grocery stores were and
what time they closed. The issue for Philip and the disciples is not a matter
of where to buy bread, but how can we buy enough bread to feed all these people?
The situation is hopeless. There are 5,000 men not counting the women and the
children. It's an overwhelming situation. But brothers and sisters, hear me this
morning. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. We who are followers of
Jesus should always work at the level of our own inadequacy, so that if the Lord
does not come through, we fail miserably. Let me see if I can make that make sense.
Anything that you can do that does not require the Lord's help, you get the
credit for it. But you need to undertake something that's so big that only God has
to step in and turn it around for you. Wish I had a witness here. Well, let me see
if I can put it this way. I need somebody who has been in an overwhelming
situation. Your stuff almost took you under. You were so worried you couldn't
sleep at night. You were so distressed that you were distracted on your job. You
were so bothered that every time you turn around what you had to face was right
in your face and it overwhelmed you almost to the point that you didn't
want to pray. I'm not talking to some weak 90 pound Christian now. I'm talking
to somebody who's been in the trenches with God, who's had some sleepless
nights, some worrisome days. I wish I had two or three believers here. You've had
some stuff to wake you up in the middle of the night and say, Lord, if you don't
come through, I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Some child has broken your heart. Some relationship has stressed you to the
limit. Some pain is almost more than you can bear. We see you on Sunday morning,
but we have no idea what you're going through. You are in some overwhelming
situation. You are between a rock and a hard place, but if that's your situation
this morning, stay with me. Don't leave before there have been addiction. I've
got some good news for you this morning.
It's an overwhelming situation.
Now over 20,000 people, it's dark, stores are closed, there's nowhere to buy bread.
Jesus asked Philip, where can we buy some bread to feed all these people? Now
brothers and sisters, I'm trying to get through here, but if you think the
disciples were befuddled, what do you think would be the situation if Jesus
asked that question at Lilligro?
The first thing we would do would get a committee on bread, and then fight over
who the bread committee chad person is going to be. And then after we get that
worked out, we're going to buy wheat bread, a white bread, and after we get that
worked out, are we going to get the bread from HEB? Are we going to get it from
Randall's? And then the next question is how much bread we going to give out?
Because ain't you got some bread yesterday?
Somebody ought to help me preach it. We analyze and analyze and analyze until
our analyzing makes us paralyzed and we can't make any decision.
Forget the committee on bread, go buy some bread. Stop worrying about who gets
the credit and buy the bread.
An overwhelming situation. But that overwhelming situation is now met by an
insufficient supply. Where can we buy bread to feed all these people? Philip
said, all we have in our little treasury is 200 denarii. But it would take a
year's wages to feed all these people. All we have is 200 denarii. That very
word 200 is a word that's mixed with something that doesn't work.
Because when you read Joshua chapter 7, Achan had 200 shekels of silver that he
stole from the Babylonians that caused there to be sin in the camp and God
destroyed Achan and his whole family because of the number 200.
Absalom in 2 Samuel, Absalom, David's son was so handsome the Bible says that
was not even a blemish on him. Absalom weighed his hair every day and it weighed
200 shekels. But that very hair got caught in a tree and hung him because he
betrayed his own father. 200 is insufficient. And everything they brought Jesus
that day was insufficient. Andrew in his naivete, Andrew is trying to fix an
unfixable situation. Andrew meant well. Andrew had the right mind saying, Andrew
said we can't buy no bread but I know I know where we can get some. There's a
little boy here and he's got two fish and five barley loaves and if Andrew had
left it right there he would have been the hero in the story. But he had to go
a step further. He said there's a boy here with two fish and five loaves. Andrew
shut up that's enough. But no, Andrew was on the bread committee at Lily Grove.
And so Andrew says we have a boy here with two fish and five loaves but what
is that among so many? He gave a good bucket of milk and kicked it over because
if he had left it at the supply, Jesus could work with that. But Andrew had to
put Andrew in it and said we got a boy here with two fish and five loaves but
that's not enough for so many. Jesus said bring it to me. I want you to get
this shout. Everything that day they brought to Jesus was not enough. Andrew
did not find a grown man. He found a child and brought him to Jesus and in
Andrew's mind that's not enough. The boy had some little sardines, some little
salted fish. Two of them. Not enough. Five little barley loaves, little flat loaves
of barley. What we would call today Peter bread. And if the insufficiency
does not need to be pressed further barley is the bread of the poor. Rich
people eat wheat. Poor folk ate barley bread. It was hard to digest. It was not
of a good grain. It was not of a good quality. It was not the best bread. It's
not enough. It's inadequate. It's insufficient. A boy, two fish, five loaves.
I imagine his mama let him go to church that day and the mama being a mama
figured church might have lasted longer than it usually should have lasted. And
so she packs him a sack lunch. Maybe the boy had eight fish and ten loaves.
But the choir sang so long. And the pastor preached so long that that boy got
hungry like little boys in church do and started eating the little lunches
mother packed. I don't know that I'm just putting that in there because that
could have happened because if that had been me I would have ate some of my lunch.
And by the time Jesus needed it all he had left was two fish and five loaves.
I'm encouraged to tell somebody this morning bring Jesus what you got left.
Sometimes I'm tired Lord bring that to Jesus. My heart is broken sometimes Lord
bring that to Jesus. My child won't speak to me. Bring that to Jesus.
Lord I'm running on empty. Bring that to Jesus. Lord this my last little money.
Bring that to Jesus because somebody ought to help me testify. You ain't getting
paid till Friday but you don't have enough gas on Tuesday. God will let that car
keep running till you get to your payday. I wish I had a witness here. God knows
how to take a little and make it match but you got to put it in the master's hand.
There's a boy here. Two fish. Five little flat-barley loaves. But what is that?
Among so many. Jesus said bring it to me. Have you any rivers that you think are
uncrossable? Have you any mountains that you cannot tunnel through? God specialized.
Have I got a witness? God specialized. God specialized. In things that seem impossible.
And he can do what no other power. He's a doctor in a sick room. He's a lawyer in
a courtroom. He's a friend when you're friendless. He's a bearer. He's a problem
solver. He's a heavy load sharer. He will do it for you. Yes he will. Yes he will.
Tell somebody around you. I don't know what you're going through. But put it.
Put it. Put what, Reverend? The quietest thing that ever was in a while. This and that.
Whatever this is, whatever that is, put it in his hand. Stop worrying about it. Stop crying over it.
Stop getting stressed out about it. Stop losing your hair over it. If God be far out.
Who can be against us?
I'm finished. But they brought it to Jesus.
Jesus said, make the men sit down. Because if you can get that brother's street.
If you can get that man to go to church. His wife will go to church. His children will go to church.
I wish I had some man here to help me shout right here. I need a real man here who does not mind
testifying that when God's been good to me, I don't care if you see me cry. I don't care if you see me
raise my hand. I don't care if you see me in church giving God glory. I'm not too cool to tell God thank you.
If you can shout for the rockets. If you can shout for the Superbowl. If you can shout for the Astros.
Who walked you up this morning?
Lady, lady, sister. Don't marry no man who can't cry.
He's going to make you cry.
Don't marry no man who's to embarrass to show emotion.
No, when God's been good to me, I've got so many sins God has forgiven.
I've got so many doors God has opened and so many doors I need God to open that I'm not going to get
dressed on no Sunday morning and come all of this way to the house of God and sit down with my arms folded
because I don't want you to think that I'm not cool.
If the Lord has kept you, you ought to say something. If God had made a way for you,
you ought to say something. Let everything
God has breath
praise the Lord left the redeem
of the Lord say so.
He brought it to Jesus.
He put it in his hand
and he gave thanks.
He lifted it up and gave thanks.
And when he brought it down, RCH Linske says the more he gave, the more he had to give.
He gave and he gave and he gave and he gave and listen to what the text says.
Everybody ate until they were satisfied.
God won't stop blessing you until you satisfy
because God knows how to keep on giving and keep on giving and keep on giving and keep on giving
that you say, Lord, I asked you for this, but you gave me that.
When you learn how to show appreciation
and when you live with a heart of gratitude and a spirit of thanksgiving,
God will just send stuff your way that you're not even looking for because you're thankful over
what he did the last time. It doesn't have to be new. It doesn't have to be fresh. It's just a
blessing from God. Somebody here ought to help me testify. You know you made it on some stale bread.
You know God kept you over some leftovers. You know God made a way when you had to wear
some hand-me-downs. If God was good in your hand-me-down days, you ought to thank God in your
nautstrom days. If God was good in your hoopty days, you ought to thank God in your Mercedes days.
If God was good in your project days, you ought to thank God in your 18 square
thousand square foot house. I need somebody here who can help me testify
and you know where you came from and you're not in here this morning trying to be bougie and act
like you always had it like that. I need to talk to my black brothers and sisters in here this
morning. I'm grateful to the Lord for the many of you who wore your HBCU paraphernalia and for all
of us who were blessed to rub our head inside the wall in a college classroom or in a dormitory.
Thank God for that. But don't forget the nickels and dimes. These schools were built with quarters
and dollars by poor people with no education and now here we are with six figure salaries
and our schools are about to lose their accreditation because we support the tailgate
but not the school. See how quiet you got right there? We support our fraternity and our sorority
but not the school that we were pretending to have sorority members of.
See how quiet you got again.
Didn't you hear Donald Trump insult us yesterday?
Talking about the reason black folk are with him because of his mug shot.
Maybe you didn't hear that fool. Well go go listen to it. He said black people are with him because
of his mug shot and he's selling these three hundred ninety nine dollar tennis shoes and he
know black folk gone by because Trump said black folk like tennis shoes. Black folk like mug shot.
The racist nerve of him. I know a whole lot of people who've been to jail
but I know a lot more people who ain't been to jail. Just because you black don't mean you took
a mug shot. I wish I had somebody to help me preach. The reason that is an A.K.A. and a Delta
Sigma Theta is because they would not let you in white fraternities and sorority.
The reason that is a grambling in the southern is they wouldn't let you in LSU and Louisiana Tech.
The reason there is a TSU is because they didn't want you at the University of Houston.
Talk back to me if you can. God has brought us a mighty long way
and if anybody ought to be able to thank God thank you that when I had a little bit you kept me
but now that I got a lot I want to bless your name. I'm through.
They brought it to Jesus and everybody ate and was satisfied.
Then Jesus said to the disciples who did the distribution gather up the fragments.
The disciples who had been doing the feeding had not eaten.
They were serving and they had not eaten.
Jesus said when everybody is finished and satisfied your work is not finished yet.
Gather up the fragments, the leftovers so that nothing be lost.
The disciples who had not eaten did what Jesus said and when they got through gathering
fragments there were 12 baskets of food. You missed that.
The people had a meal
but the disciples had a banquet
because when you do what God says he'll never let you go lacking.
12 baskets of fragments.
You might think Jesus was being kind of frugal by telling them to pick up the leftovers.
Don't let anything be lost. The reason Jesus said that is from the Old Testament book of Ruth.
It was the custom of the Jewish people to leave a little corner
in the field so that the poor folk could glean.
They always left a corner for the poor.
I'm tempted to say something right here.
Just like the bread committee would have met about feeding the hungry.
There's a crowd of folk around here
who would look at this corner analogy
and say you're going to kill that corner.
There's a lot left in there.
You want this corner because if you don't
I got it.
That ain't the corner I'm talking about.
You have to always make sure that when you count your blessing you count somebody else in your
blessing because if you always give it out you ain't going to lose nothing.
God will see to it that it'll always come back to you.
Have I got a witness here?
And when Jesus got through feeding the multitude and the disciples got their basket of fish and
bread the people would not leave the field without recognizing what just happened.
Somebody said should.
Somebody said truly.
This man must be a prophet.
When God has been good to you, when God has made a way for you,
don't just leave with your blessing in your hand.
Don't just leave with God's goodness in your pocket.
Stop in your tracks and say surely.
Surely it was nobody who did this for me.
But God himself and when God has done something wonderful for you,
you ought to make your way to God's house and not be ashamed to tell God I thank you
for all you've done for me. I praise you for your many old blessings.
I give you the glory for all you have wrought in my life.
Is there anybody here this morning?
God I thank you in you.
Is there anybody here this morning? God of hallelujah you need to get rid of.
Is there anybody here?
God I thank you Jesus.
You just can't wait to get out.
Is there anybody here?
Glad God came to your rescue.
Glad God opened the door for you.
I see you in the balcony. You can shout up there too.
You can shout down over here to my left.
I know God has been good to you.
Don't act like you don't know who kept you.
Don't act like you don't know who brought you.
Don't act like you're embarrassed to tell God thank you.
Thank you Jesus for all you've done for me.
Thank you Jesus for the many ways you've made.
Thank you Jesus for the many doors you've opened.
Thank you Jesus for the many prayers you've answered.
Thank you Jesus you've been my mother and my father.
My sister and my brother.
Thank you Jesus when my enemy tried to assail me.
Thank you Jesus.
You put a fence all around me.
Thank you Jesus.
You protected my children.
You protected my family.
Thank you Jesus when I was sick and couldn't get well.
You were a doctor for me.
Thank you Jesus.
Is there anybody here?
No God's been good to you.
If you're not ashamed to tell God thank you.
If you're not embarrassed.
If you don't mind why don't you grab somebody.
Tell them you don't know like I know.
You can't tell it like I can tell it.
Let me tell it what the Lord has done for me.
He brought me.
He kept me.
He never left me.
He dried my tears.
He answered my prayers.
Ain't he alright?
See yeah.
Yeah.
I know he's alright.
Shirley.
This must be the Son of God.
One Friday on a hill called Calvary.
He died.
Didn't he die?
But early Sunday morning he got up.
Didn't he get up with all power in his hand.
Shake somebody's hand.
Tell him Shirley.
Shirley.
What you need.
God's got it.
What you want.
God's got it.
Won't he do it?
It's錢 and he's all right.
It matters not what you have left.
Bring it to Jesus.