Welcome to the Trinity Sermons Podcast. We are so glad that you are joining us today.
Today, Rob will be continuing our sermon series called Around the Table, and we're going
to be exploring one of Jesus' more miraculous meals today. So I hope you enjoy!
Today's reading is from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 14, verses 13 to 21.
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing
of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large
crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples
came to him and said, This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds
away so that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food. Jesus replied, They
do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. We have here only five loaves of bread
and two fish, they answered. Bring them here to me, he said. And he directed the people
to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to
heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the
disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples
picked up 12 basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate
was about 5000 men, besides women and children. The word of the Lord.
Yes, we are at the beginning of a teaching series called Around the Table. We're looking
at the different meals that Jesus ate with people throughout the gospels and seeing what
we can learn from them. And while we've been doing this, we've actually also asked you,
would you please send us some of the pictures that you have of the meals you're eating together
with people in your life, people in your family, or people in your church. And some of you
have already started to send those pictures in. So for example, the Druan family sent
this picture in of their family eating a lovely meal in Italy, of all places, this past summer.
That looks absolutely fantastic. We also got a picture sent to us from Bob Clays with his
family. I believe this was a birthday dinner that was being shared. Actually, we got some
pictures from Zion. Because last week when the youth were downstairs doing their junior
youth activities, they were eating Timbits. And so they sent some pictures along of them
enjoying Timbits. And of course, whenever food is mentioned here at Trinity, Jordan
and Jesse have to get involved and they have to send some pictures along. These two, wherever
there's food, you're going to find these guys. You know, and you guys may not know this,
but historians have found that even Jesus took a selfie during the last supper and it
has since been on earth. But no, in all seriousness, we definitely want to hear from you. So can
you send us your photos? Send us your photos. Send them to eattogetherat trinitystreetsfield.org
and we'll be featuring some of those in our upcoming services. You see, when you read
the Bible, one of the things you will notice about the meals that Jesus ate with people,
that even though they were so transformative, they were totally ordinary meals. There was
almost nothing special about them. In fact, remember last week when we looked at the story
of Jesus eating with Levi, the tax collector, it changed his life. And yet there was nothing
miraculous about the meal. There was nothing supernatural about the meal. It was just an
ordinary meal. And I think that the teaching there for us is to realize that every day
you will eat meals. Every week you will eat several very, very ordinary meals, but your
ordinary meals can also be completely transformative depending on who you invite to your table.
Because you see, for Jesus, meals were about way more than food. It was at meals where
barriers were broken down, where people found hope, where people found healing, where people
found wholeness in their lives. You see, people thought the kingdom of God was going to come
into the world through might and power, but nobody thought the kingdom of God was going
to come into the world at a booth at the local Tim Hortons. Nobody thought it was going to
come around a pizza box in your basement apartment when you got together with a friend. Nobody
expected the kingdom of God to break in around some coffee and banana bread in the office
break room. Right? But that's how it worked. Ordinary, ordinary meals. Although today we're
going to talk about an absolutely extraordinary meal. Right? This is possibly the most famous
meal in all the gospels with the exception of the Last Supper. And it is of course the
feeding of the 5,000. This was a miraculous meal. And I say it was one of the most famous.
Why? Because it's recorded in all four gospels. Now you might say, well, Rob, isn't everything
recorded in all four gospels? Don't they all tell us the same thing? That's not actually
true. There's lots of duplication sometimes between a couple of gospels or three gospels.
But these gospel writers had different sources. They knew different people. They talked to
different crowds. And so, yeah, the gospels are all different. And yet this story ends
up in all four of those gospels. And that means that this meal, understanding this meal,
I think is uber important for us to understand. Everyone knew about it. Everyone wrote about
it. Why was that? It was because there is a question that we all need to figure out
in life. Sorry, my fancy clicker is also double clicking. And that is this question. How does
God turn a little into a lot? How does God turn a little into a lot? That's an important
question that many of us, all of us actually at some point in our life are going to need
to know the answer to because you're going to come to a time in your life where you need
God to turn a little bit of something into a whole lot of something. You're going to
need God to turn a little bit of strength that you have into a whole lot of energy.
You're going to need God to turn just a little bit of faith into a whole lot of hope. You're
going to need God to turn just a little opportunity into a great big opportunity. So whether it's
money or whether it's health or whether it's patience or whether it's courage or whatever
it is, there are some things in life that we have just a little bit of. We have just
a wee little bit of, and we need God to give us more. How does God turn a little into a
lot? The church, Trinity Streetsville, also needs to know the answer to this question
because there are many times when we hear at Trinity, we have just a little bit of resources,
but we need to turn it into more. We have just a little bit of vision, but we need to
turn it into more. Today is our ministry fair Sunday. We'll say more about that later, but
we need to learn how to turn a little bit of people power into a whole lot of people
power here at Trinity. How does God turn a little into a lot? Well, the meal that we
are going to look at today answers this question, I believe. And remember this, Jesus never
did these miracles just to show off. He didn't do it just as a raw demonstration of his power.
Hey, everybody, look at me. No, he did these miracles to teach us something. And chances
are if he's been recorded doing this miracle four times, then there's really something
important we need to learn here. So how do we turn a little into a lot? I've even given
you some teaching notes, some sermon notes. If you want to follow along, I think there's
something really important we all need to remember today. But here is the first step.
If you want to turn a little into a lot, the very first thing you need to do is you need
to admit your need, right? You have to admit that you have a problem. And it is very difficult
for many of us to admit that we have a problem because we see it as a sign of weakness. We
see it as a sign of failure to say, I've got a problem here. And yet it's so clear from
the story that that is the very first step toward witnessing a miracle. In our reading
this morning, it's very clear what the problem is. There's a lot of writing up there, but
the crowds have followed Jesus out to a remote place. It is getting late in the day and there
is no food and there is no McDonald's within 20 miles of where they were. And the disciples
have a real need. They have a real problem. And they actually admit that need. They confess
that need to Jesus. So before we go any further, let me just ask you this. What is the need
that you have come here with this morning? What is the problem in your own life? Many
of us face problems, but actually we know how to solve those problems. We do. But there
are other problems we don't know how to solve. So maybe you're facing a financial problem
and you actually know how to solve it. You say, Rob, I just have to cut up my credit
cards because I'm overspending. I just need the strength to do it. But then there might
be other financial problems that you're facing that you just do not know where to go from
here. You're like, you know, the landlord just raised the rent. My car broke down and
I lost my job. I do not know what to do. Or take health, for an example, you might have
a health problem and you know exactly what it is you need to do, right? You need to quit
smoking. You need to quit drinking so much. You know what it is you need to do. You just
need the strength to do it. But there are other problems that we may face that we actually
just do not know. And there is nothing that we can do about it. The doctor called and
told you some very distressing news and there's nothing you can do about it. It is completely
out of your hands. You don't have one thing to do about it. It's beyond your ability.
So there are some problems we know how to solve, but we just need the strength. There
are other problems that we don't even know where to start. But for either of these problems,
the first step is for us to admit that need to God. Whatever your problem is, the first
step is to say, God, I got a problem. God, I need some help. Because this is the really
good news. The really good news is that every miracle begins with a problem. If you don't
have a problem in your life, you don't need a miracle. If you don't have a need in your
life, then you don't need God. But whatever you're facing, a spiritual, a physical, a
financial, a relationship problem in order for God to turn a little bit into a lot and
in order for God to give you what you need to overcome that problem, we have to admit
that needs God. I've got a problem. Jesus, I need some help. I want to say that again
here at Trinity, we're a church and we also have needs. We have spiritual needs, physical
needs, resource needs. We have financial needs. There are classes here at Trinity that need
to be taught. There are people here at Trinity that need to be welcomed. There are young
people here at Trinity that need to be mentored, meals that need to be served. There are ministries
that need to be resourced. That's what today's ministry fair is all about. Not just to celebrate
all the stuff that God is doing here, but to admit to God and to admit to you. These
are our needs. These are the needs we have. And that is okay because God can turn a little
bit into a lot when we take that first step and we admit we have needs in our lives. That's
the first step. But here's the second step. The second step after we have admitted that
we have a need is to then take some responsibility for that need. I find it very interesting
in this story that we just read that this miraculous meal, Jesus does not intervene.
Jesus does not solve the problem until the disciples have gotten concerned about the
problem, until the disciples have started to take some responsibility for it. I mean,
here's what I mean. As evening approached, as evening approached, the disciples came
to him and they said, this is a remote place. It's getting late. Send the crowds away so
they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food. Jesus knew without a doubt there
was going to be a food problem. Right? Long before anybody else ever recognized there
was going to be a problem, Jesus knew, but he did nothing until his disciples got concerned.
And it's only when they realized there was a problem, it's only when they started accepting
some responsibility and saying, someone's got to do something about this, that Jesus
began to act. I think there is a lot of truth to this statement. I think that God saw your
marriage problems long before you acknowledged that they were there. He was waiting for you
to take some initiative, to get concerned and to take some responsibility for that.
God knew your health problems long before you did, but he's waiting for you, waiting
on you to take some initiative, to take some responsibility. Look at how Jesus invites
his disciples to take responsibility here. He says, don't send them away. You can give
them something to eat. This is for you to figure out. It seems absolutely crazy. Even
if they had a thousand boxes of Kraft dinner, they couldn't boil it up and feed all those
people in that time. Right? And it's financially impossible too. We're told that the disciples
were pulling out their hair, wondering how they were even going to pay for all this.
But God often asks us to do things that seem impossible. Why? To, to ignite within us a
concern and to spark within us faith. Because as the Bible says, without faith, it's impossible
to please God. Here at Trinity, we've got lots of ministry needs. We've got lots of
ministry opportunities that can actually also seem overwhelming, like the disciples. But
if everyone, if everyone takes some responsibility, if everyone finds something that concerns
them, if everyone has a little bit of faith, then we too will see God work miracles here
in our midst. But here's the problem. So many times in our life when we see, we see a need,
we have these excuses. The first excuse is that we, we procrastinate, right? Notice,
did you notice that the disciples didn't even begin to try to solve this problem until
evening approached? Come on, they knew there was a problem looming, right? What were they
waiting for? Did they think it was just going to go away? Were they, were they hoping that,
you know, it was just going to disappear? I wonder if in your own life, there's a difficult
situation that you're facing and you are just putting off dealing with it. Oh, someday.
Ah, someday I'll get around to it. Someday I'll deal with it. Even here at Trinity. You
can go across the hall after the service and you'll see all these ministry opportunities
and you'll say, ah, someday, someday I'll volunteer. Not, not today, not today, but
someday I will. Right? Procrastinating never solves any of our problems. But the disciples,
they also had this other excuse and that is they pass the buck. They say, oh, send, send
the crowds away. It's not our fault that they came out here into the middle of nowhere to
listen to Jesus. That's on them. That's, that's not on us. Let somebody else do it. Let somebody
else volunteer. It's not our responsibility. Or we say, it's not our problem. Or we even
say it's not our business. But whenever there is need in the world, whenever people are
suffering for Christians, it's their business. It's our business. And the third excuse that,
that kind of comes up here is they, they panic, right? Ah, that would take more than a, how
many years wages would that take? And they start to get anxious. You can just feel the
temperature going up. How are we going to do this? How are we going to organize this
way? Do we need a health permit to serve this much food? Peter, have you had your, your,
your safe food handling course? Do you know how to do this? Do we have to contact the
health department and have our kitchen inspected? They are panicking. Now, the funny thing about
all this is, is while they're panicking and while they're freaking out, who is standing
right beside them? Jesus, Jesus, the one who could snap his fingers and have manna fall
from heaven, but they seem to have forgotten all that. So now if you are faced with a problem
that you cannot solve, remember first step is admit that you have need. And then secondly,
don't pass the buck. Don't procrastinate. Don't panic, but take some responsibility.
And once you've done that, then thirdly, what that means is you can start to do what you
can do. We may not feel like we've got the resources or the abilities to solve the problems
that we are facing, but God waits to see what we will do with what little we have. And this
story, the disciples go out on a reconnaissance mission into the crowd and they come back
with a little boy and this little boy is in John's version of the story, in John's version.
This little boy actually becomes the hero of the story. And why is that? It's because
he did what he could. He, first of all, the little boy, he gave what he had. He's only
got a couple fish. He's only got, you know, five loaves of bread. And apparently we're
supposed to believe, apparently he was the only one in the crowd that day who had some
food with them. Police, police. Nobody goes on a journey like that without packing a bit
of a lunch for themselves. I guarantee you there were lots of people in the crowd that
day with picnic baskets shoved under their robes. No, the little boy wasn't the only
one with food. He was the only one who was willing to give what he had. Right? And it
wasn't a lot, mind you, but never underestimate what God can do when ordinary people give
what they have. I think the second thing you can deduce from this story is that he gave
all that he had. Right? It wasn't like he, he said, well, I'll give you 10% of this fish.
I'll give you a 10th of my loaf of bread. No, he gave all that he had. Jesus is looking
for people not to find out the minimum amount that they can give, but to find out how much,
how generously people can give. Have you ever made this, this kind of deal with God where
you say, God, I will give you anything except this relationship or God, I will give you
anything except my career or I'll give you anything God, except my money or God, I'll
give you everything except whatever this little thing is over here that I refuse to let you
have. You can have everything else God, but not this thing. I tell you, the little boy,
he gave it all. He didn't hold anything back. Gave all that he had. And then I think he
can also deduce from this story that not only did he give what he have and give all that
he had, but he gave it immediately. He didn't wait around to see what else was going to
happen. He didn't wait around to see if somebody else was going to, to stand up and solve the
problem. He gave it right away. Remember, Jesus could have solved this problem with a
snap of his fingers, but here is the mystery of the story. God always starts something
miraculous in your life or in my life or in the life of this church. It always starts
when we give what we have. And it might not seem like much to you. And you might not think
that what you have to give will make any difference. You know, the apostle Paul wrote a little
bit about this later. He said, he said, the important thing to remember, sorry, the important
thing is to be willing to give as much as we can. This is what God accepts. And no one
is asked to give what he has not got. Whether you got a little time or a lot of time, a
little talent or a lot of talent, a little bit of finances or a lot of finances, a little
bit of energy or a lot of energy. Miracles happen. Changes happen when, and that little
bit turns into a whole lot when we start giving God what we already have. So that brings us
to the fourth point. If you can admit your need and then if you can take responsibility
and then if you can do what you can, then finally we can expect a miracle because something
amazing happens when you take what you have and you put it into Jesus's hands. That little
bit becomes a whole lot. We read that, you know, Jesus gave thanks and he broke the loaves
and they all ate and they were satisfied. And the disciples then picked up 12 baskets
full of broken pieces that were left over. Whatever we put into God's hands, he multiplies.
You might not have much time, but when you give your time to God, he multiplies the impact
of that time. You might not have much talent, but you put it into God's hand. He multiplies
the impact of that time. You might not have much faith. There might be some of you here
today who have very little faith. The Bible says, if you've got faith, even the size of
a mustard seed and you put that into God's hand, then you can move mountains in your
life. Trinity streetsville can be a place where miracles happen and lives are changed
and the kingdom comes and people experience healing and hope. But it only happens when
we put what we have into God's hands. I tell you, this boy, he probably had some explaining
to do when he got home that day because his mom sent him out the door with a couple fish
and five loaves of bread and he probably came home with armfuls of leftovers. And she was
like, where did you get all that? He says, well, it was amazing. I gave it to Jesus.
And before you know it, I had way more than I brought. She's like, you sit down, young
man, you're not going anywhere until you tell me the truth. Or like Georgia, if I sent Georgia
off to school for her lunch and I gave her a $10 bill and then she came home and she
had $500. And she'd say, dad, you wouldn't believe it. I gave my $10 bill to the cafeteria
lady and she gave me back $500. I'd say, Georgia, you better sit down here, young lady. We got
to call the school. What on earth have you done? Nobody is going to believe a story like
that. But the truth is, and one of the principles of this whole story is, is that whenever you
give to others, whenever you serve others, you always get back more than you gave. It's
the old saying, you can't out give God. And I know I'm on shaky ground here because there
are a lot of those prosperity preachers out there who say, oh, God blesses you so much
when you bless others or God gives when you give. But there is some truth to it. I was
talking to one of our volunteers here at Trinity who helps out from time to time in the kitchen
serving coffee after the service. And she said, yeah, Rob, it's difficult and yeah,
it takes a little bit of extra effort. But listen, Rob, I get way more out of it than
I put in because I get to meet all these people that I work with and I get to develop friendships
and I get to have great conversations and I get to see the smiles on people's faces
after the service as they, as they mingle and mix and they have something to drink and
something to eat. Yeah. I get, I get way more out than I put into it. And televangelists
will say, Hey, you give us a hundred dollars. Well, he'll give you a million dollars. God
will give you a million dollars. This is not a pyramid scheme, right? But Jesus is saying,
listen, there are blessings you don't know about when you give, when you volunteer and
when you serve, you get back more than you could possibly give. So then in your life,
in my life, in the life of this church, how do we turn a little into a lot? How do we
overcome the problems that we're facing this morning? The answer is this. First, admit
your need to God, God help simplest prayer. You can pray, admit your need. Secondly, take
some responsibility, develop some concern over what it is. This isn't somebody else's
problem. This is your problem too. And then thirdly, do what you can. Even if you don't
have much to give, give what you can. And then fourthly, we can expect a miracle because
when we put what we have into God's hands, it multiplies so much so that not only are
others blessed, but we are too. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Thank you for listening to our Trinity Sermons podcast today. I hope that you took some valuable
lessons from what Rob has shared with us. Today's message was taken from the September
15th service at Trinity Church, Streetsville in Mississippi.