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"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it, it will certainly come and will not delay."
-Habakkuk 2:3 |
Sermon Archive
JesusCan Pull Off the Impossible
Jesus Can Pull off the Impossible!
Luke 9:12-17
Imagine ordering pizzas for 5,000 men plus some women & children! If one large pizza could feed 4 people, then it would take 1250 pizza’s @ $12. ea. to feed 5000, at the cost $15,000. Feeding five thousand hungry men is no small task - - - yet that’s the story of the miracle in Luke 9.
It is an interesting story, but it must be a significant story because it is the only miracle Jesus performed that is reported in all four of his N.T. biographies. I think the big message is this: Jesus can do the impossible & with his help we can too.
I. When a crowd gathered - Jesus Welcomed them. Lk 9:11-12
Word about Jesus’ whereabouts spread & a crowd of people gathered. They were attracted to Jesus like metal to a magnet. Without much planning thousands of men, women & children & started walking around the lake of Galilee looking for Jesus. And they found him.
So what did Jesus do? "He welcomed them & spoke to them about the kingdom of God, & healed those who needed healing." (v12) Jesus cares for people. Jesus takes time for people. Jesus finds pleasure in teaching & meeting the needs of people.
II. When the disciples didn’t know what to do – Jesus Challenged them Lk 9:12-13
The people spent the whole day with Jesus & now it was dinner time. And the 12 disciples didn’t know what to do with this large crowd who so they came to Jesus with a suggestion: "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside & find food & lodging, because we are in a remote place here."
It was a very practical suggestion. The people needed food to eat. There were 5,000 of them. They were out in the countryside. Even if they could do something to serve all these people it would cost a small fortune.
But instead of sending the people away, Jesus laid a direct challenge on his disciples. Jesus said: "You give them something to eat." Jesus gave them the responsibility for the coming up with a solution.
When faced with people’s needs my first two responses are likely to be: 1.) let somebody else do something; 2.) let God take care of this one. I think I have lots of company. But Jesus says to the 12 "You give them something to eat!" (9:13) Why did Jesus tell them to do the impossible? For two reasons:
1- Jesus wanted them to learn that without Him they could NOT do it. I wonder if Jesus sometimes asks us to do hard things just so we will find out how inadequate we are by ourselves. In Jn 15:5 Jesus said, “Those who remain in me, & I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (NLT) We can do nothing of spiritual value apart from Jesus.
2-Jesus wants us to know the wonderful privilege & satisfaction of doing good for others. One of the things I love about PCC is the way so many of you are quick to say "Yes!" You generously give & serve, & love.
The disciples response:"We couldn’t scrape up more than five slices of bread & a couple of fish—unless, of course, you want us to go to town buy food for everybody."(msg) They didn’t have much. They had found a boy who had a sack lunch with five slices of bread & two fish. Not much.
I am one who is quick to see what can’t be done. I’m not very good at dreaming big things. But I’m working at seeing what can happen when I allow Jesus to use what little I have.
Frankly, sometimes we don’t offer what we have because what we have doesn’t seem like much. We think "I have so little time there’s no point in volunteering" or "I have so little money to give that I might just as well keep it." Well, it’s a good thing the boy with the little lunch didn’t have that attitude. He gave what little he had to Jesus & there was amazing results.
III. When confronted with limitations - Jesus Multiplies Lk 9:13-17
Jesus did what Jesus does! When confronted with limitations, he multiplies. Jesus is the master a making the impossible possible. How did Jesus do it?
1st Jesus prayed. Taking the five loaves & the two fish & looking up to heaven, he gave thanks… & broke it into pieces…” (v16.) Jesus gave thanks. Gratitude is not just about the past but also about the future. Thanks is also an expression of faith. George Mueller was a great man of faith in an earlier generation. From Bristol, England, he founded & managed a large orphanage. There were times when he would gather the children in the dining hall & lead them in a prayer of thanksgiving for their meal when there was no food on the table or in the kitchen. Time after time God provided the food by the end of the prayer. Once it was a milk truck that broke down - - the driver knocked at the door during the prayer & offered the contents because otherwise it would spoil. Other times there were unexpected deliveries of food & meat from anonymous donors. Jesus prayed!“
2nd Jesus got the disciples involved. “Then he gave them (baskets of food) to the disciples to set before the people.” (v16) Jesus broke the bread & fish & asked his disciples to hand it out to the crowd. Don’t miss this: They were doing what they didn’t think could be done!
I’ll tell you where I personally experience this work of Jesus most often.
It’s in preaching. I have many weeks when I have prepared a sermon that I believe to be inadequate. I ask God to somehow make it effective. I stand here to speak & my words don’t flow, my grammar is incorrect, my thoughts get confused & I get home & tell Dori that one didn’t go well.
Then I receive a note during the week, or get a phone call or have people talk to me & say how the message helped them. And then I realize, that Jesus has done it again - he has taken the verbal equivalent of two fish & five slices of bread & miraculously made them into something of worth.
Sometimes Jesus allows us to experience similar situations. Humanly they seem destined to failure. "They don’t make sense. They seem all wrong. They just don’t feel right." Then Jesus does his miracle. He turns nothing into something. He turns failure into success.
3rd Jesus Got Results. The story of Jesus’ miracle ends with the words: "They all ate & were satisfied, & the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over." They were satisfied! They were satisfied because of Jesus. The disciples had reached the end of their resources. But Jesus multiplied what little they had & the people were fed.
Conclusion: Last week I shared that God has placed you where you are so that you would fulfill Jesus mission in those places. Sometimes when Jesus asks us to fulfill a mission we get scared or just don’t think we can do it. Here’s the great news, He doesn’t intend for us to do the difficult or impossible on our own. When we tell Jesus that we don’t have the resources, we are ready for his empowerment. Note that each disciple bringing an overflowing basket of leftovers back to Jesus, they carried a reminder that, with Christ, all things are possible. A few weeks ago we focused on the supremacy of Christ, now I want you to focus on the sufficiency of Christ. Jesus can make it possible for you to complete your mission. (Gospel song by Gene Maclelln)
Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and-a you can look at others differently
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from-a Gallilee.
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church & in Christ Jesus through all generations forever & ever! (Eph 3:20-21)