Feeding the multitude

Feeding the multitude

Text: John 6:1-13.                              

“After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.

And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten” John 6:1-13.

Our God is a God of miracles, and nothing is impossible with Him! He can meet every need that arises. Feeding tens of thousands with a couple of fish and bread sandwiches was a small thing for Jesus. How did He do it? Jesus increased what little they had, mouths were filled, and everyone one fed.

And He can meet your needs today, and is working miracles today in those who trust in Him!

1.    THE MULTITUDE. VERSE 2.

 “Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.”

Multitudes today are hungry.

A.   Physical hunger.

1/3^rd of the world is underfed, many even in our area, even in our town, go to bed hungry, and when they awake, they are no better off. Jesus said the “the poor are always around you.” Yet, Jesus met the physical needs of this multitude. 

Jesus met their physical need and included a prize inside even better. It was the bread of heaven, and living water though which they would never thirst again for all who would accept it that day!

B.   Emotional hunger.

      

Many are hungry for acceptance, understanding, and unconditional love. They are looking for the meaning of life and a purpose for their life. Self-help books are the best sellers by the thousands, as people search for something that is real.  

We need to share the love of Jesus with them He is the one that can help them. An entire generation exists today who have never known true love, no wonder they do not know how to love or to be loved. Emotional hunger is the need of many.

C.   Spiritual hunger.

Deep in the heart of man is a void which can only be filled with God his or her Creator. This is the need in our lives for forgiveness to be cleansed of sin. 

Remember the time in your life before you were saved? 

Remember the spiritual hunger?  

Remember the emptiness and the void in your soul?  

God filled it when you were born again!

Nothing can fill the void correctly except Jesus. They may have plenty of food, but they are starving spiritually, and their hunger can only be satisfied through Christ!

Jesus saw His opportunity to give them what they wanted, and it led to an opportunity to give them what they needed. This crowd did not deserve to be fed, but Jesus fed them anyway. And you and I do not deserve to be saved, but Jesus saved us anyway. 

          In verse 7 Philip calculated that it would take 6 month’s wages to feed this crowd just this one meal. But he was making a big mistake; Philip was looking at the multitude, when He should have been looking to the Lord.

2.    THE MIRACLE, VERSE 11.

          “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.”

I like the fact that Jesus used the disciples to distribute the bread. He did not have to do that, but He chooses to use us. We do not manufacture the bread, but we are called to be delivery men and women. I am a “bread of life” delivery man, and proud to be so!

CONCLUSION:

What can we learn from this miracle? I see what we need to do in an impossible situation. Jesus told the disciples, “You feed them.”  It was impossibility. So what are we to do? Do what the disciples did! Start with what you have.

The wonderful thing about our God is that He takes us where we are and uses what we have. You may look in the mirror at your gifts, talents, and abilities, and it may not appear much, but all that matters is what small talent or ability do I have placed in the hands of the Master!

Let us be God’s bread of life delivery men and women of God.

Jesus said, “Come and dine.” Part 2

Jesus said, “Come and dine.” Part 2

Text: John 21:12.                                Reading: John 21:1-14.

This is a two-part sermon; this is the second part. This was the SEVETH appearance of Jesus after His resurrection.

1.    JESUS THE MASTER, VERSES 5-8.

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”

“Children.”

          “Children” literally means little children, or beloved children. What is our relationship to Jesus? Where is hope for you in following Christ. Oh, to hear the Lord say to us “My children.”

The Lord seems to have appeared at first in the character of a person who wished to purchase a part of what they had caught. Jesus once told them to “feed the multitude,” soon Jesus was to tell Peter to “feed His sheep.” But now they have nothing to feed to anyone, not even food for themselves. So how can they feed others?

“Have you any food?”

          Jesus said to them “have you anything to set before me?” They answered “no.” We have nothing to show from our labour all night. One day when we stand before Christ in heavenly places, and see the nail prints in His hands, we will ask ourselves “I wish I could have given Him more.” BUT to stand before the Lord with nothing, oh the pain on that day!

Let us not stand before the Lord with nothing in our hands. Let us now labour for the Lord so that we can give the Lord our all.

Are you in relationship with Jesus? No!

Have you left your all on the altar? No!

Are you laying up treasure in heaven? No!

Are you seeking the lost? No!

⁶ And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So, they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

They had used all their skills but caught nothing!

They had laboured all the night but caught nothing!

But when the Lord was in their lives again, they caught a great catch.

“Cast the net on the right side of the boat.”        

I like it when the Lord gives us the RIGHT way to do things. See the disciples fished all night the wrong way, but when Jesus comes back on the scene, they fish the RIGHT way, the right side, and their nets are full.

When you put the Lord in charge, your nets will be full, when you labour in your own strength, you will catch nothing. There is always a RIGHT way with Jesus, so if the is a right side with Jesus there must be a WRONG side with man.

“You will find.”

The Lord knows where to find the fish, now they are back obeying the Lord again, note straight away they are successful. Now their nets are full and overflowing. They are in the light again and working under the authority and leadership of Jesus again. They are using the same skills, the same boat, and the same nets, BUT now they are catching fish.

“They were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.”

The multitude and the size of the fishes they caught foreshadowed the vast success of their now fast approaching ministry.

⁷ Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and plunged into the sea.

“It is the Lord!”

See John was the disciple of love; John said, “It was the Lord.” Why did not Peter know that it was the Lord? Peter was the disciple of haste! Five times in the gospel of John, John called himself “the disciple that Jesus loved.” Christian today Jesus still loves you!

“Naked.”

Some here say that Peter was “naked,” naked is often used to signify the absence of this upper garment only, so Peter dressed to restore modesty. But if he was naked, it truly cry’s out something more than bare flesh.

^1.           After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they found themselves naked before each other, and naked before God, remember they hid themselves from God.

^2.           Peter was now naked because he was doing things his own way again. He was fishing for fish and not “fishing for men.”

It was Peter that first said, “I am going fishing” BUT it was Peter who came first to Jesus again.

⁸ But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.

3.    JESUS THE HOST, VERSES 9-14.

⁹ Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

          Where did Jesus get the fish and bread? Remember 1 Kings 19:6 when Elijah was feed by the Lord God “Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So, he ate and drank, and lay down again.” That meal kept Elijah for 40 days, 1 Kings 19:8 “So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.”

So why cannot God create fish and bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”

¹¹ Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, and one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

Many interesting explanations have been offered as to the meaning of this number:

1.    The number of languages in the world at that time.

2.    The number of races or tribes in the world, toward which the gospel net would be spread out.

3.    The number of different kinds of fish in the Sea of Galilee, or in the world. There is no doubt that it speaks of the variety of those who would be saved through the preaching of the gospel—some from every tribe and nation.

The fishermen knew that it was remarkable that “the net had not broken.” This is further evidence that “God’s work carried on in God’s way will never lack God’s resources.” He will see that the net does not break.

¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?” --knowing that it was the Lord.

Jesus said to the SEVEN “Come and dine.” The meaning is “Come and break you fast,” see the disciples had laboured all night without food, “COME AND BREAK YOUR FAST.” Are you hungering for the Lord again? “Come and dine,” come eat with the Lord again.

And bring some of your fish with you. See if they are to be “fishers of men” they would be bringing others with them.

¹³ Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.

¹⁴ This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

CONCLUSION:

This can be the dawn of a new day for you, for Jesus said, “come and dine.” “Come and Dine.”

1.    He appeared to Mary of Magdalene, Mark 16:9.

2.    To the women who came from the tomb, Matthew 28:9.

3.    To the two disciples who went to Emmaus, Luke 24:13.

4.    To Peter alone, Luke 24:34.

5.    To the ten, in the absence of Thomas, John 20:19.

6.    Eight days after to the eleven, Thomas being present, John 20:26.

7.    To the seven, mentioned in John 21:2 which was between the eighth and fortieth day after His resurrection. Besides these seven appearances, He showed Himself,

8.    To the disciples on a certain mountain in Galilee, Matthew 28:16.

9.    If the appearance mentioned by Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:6, to upwards of 500 brethren at once, if this be not the same with his appearance on a mountain in Galilee, it must be considered the ninth.

10.  According to Paul, he was seen of James, 1 Corinthians 15:7 which may have been the tenth appearance.

11.  And, after this, to all the apostles, when, at Bethany, he ascended to heaven in their presence. See Mark 16:19, 20; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:3-12; 1 Corinthians 15:7. This appears to have been the eleventh time in which He distinctly manifested Himself after His resurrection.