How to Get Your Problems Solved
How to Get Your Problems Solved; NV 11/9/03 a.m.
OS: A Mensa is an organization whose members have an IQ of 140 or higher. A few years ago, there was a Mensa convention in San Francisco, and several members lunched at a local café. While dining, they discovered that their saltshaker contained pepper and their peppershaker was full of salt. How could they swap the contents of the bottles without spilling, and using only the implements at hand? Clearly this was a job for Mensa! The group debated and presented ideas, and finally came up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, a straw, and an empty saucer. They called the waitress over to dazzle her with their solution.
"Ma'am," they said, "we couldn't help but notice that the peppershaker contains salt and the saltshaker—"
"Oh," the waitress interrupted. "Sorry about that." She unscrewed the caps of both bottles and switched them.
I. Don’t you wish solutions were so easy?
A. What do you wish you had more of? (money, patience, time, etc.)
B. When we have too much of something, or when we don’t have enough of something that constitutes a problem.
C. Do we have anyone here this morning that has no problems whatsoever?
D. From the time we are born we begin the process of having problems and learning how to solve them. (Baby – problem hunger and diaper change – solution is to cry.)
II. This morning we will look at the most famous miracle of Jesus – feeding of the 5,000.
A. This miracle is recorded in all the gospel accounts we will focus primarily on Mark’s account.
B. It is a miracle of too much and not enough.
C. What we will see today is a four step process to solving your problems and having the wonderful blessing of seeing God turn a little into a lot.
III. Let me emphasize that problems are okay.
A. Problems help us grow as people. Without struggles we would never be able to become what God wants us to become.
1. People call things problems that aren't problems. They're facts of life.
2. Percentage of people who say religion answers today's problems: 60.
In 1984:56
B. That is not so compelling in the middle of the predicament, but it helps when we look back and how God has delivered us thus far.
TS] B, C, D, E, F, Read the text. If you’re going to find solutions and let God turn a little into a lot for your life the first thing you need to do is…
I. G Identify the Problem
A. The problem is obvious here. There's a large crowd. It's a remote location. There's nothing to eat. Five thousand to fifteen thousand people in the middle of the desert and no McDonalds. What are you going to do?
B. Typically, great things that God does begins with a problem. He is the great solution! H Every act of GOD begins with a problem.
1. Red Sea
2. Walls of Jericho
3. Sin
C. Do you have a problem this morning? Good news! You are a candidate for a solution.
II. I Accept Responsibility for the problem.
A. God wants you to be concerned about the situation before He is going to act.
1. 35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
2. J Jesus did nothing about the problem until the disciples got concerned. When they accepted responsibility, Jesus started acting.
B. Sometimes we have ignored problems.
1. God knows it, we haven’t recognized it. He wants to help, but not until we accept responsibility for it.
C. Notice what Jesus says, You fix it. 37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
1. How could they fix 15000 Tacos?
2. Do the math – 8 months wages.
3. God will often ask us to do what seems to be impossible – Why? Faith gets involved.
D. Three typical reactions:
1. K We Procrastinate (By that time it was late in the day.)
2. 8We pass the buck (Send the people away)
3. 8We worry about it. (Could we pay for that?)
TS] So what do you do when you realize “I need some powerful help here.” I’ve got a problem. I accept the responsibility for it. And I know that procrastinating or passing the buck or worrying about doesn’t help. What do you do?
III. L You do what you can do.
A. John’s account we are told of a little boy who had the five loaves and two fish. (He sets a good example)
1. M He gave what He had.
2. 8He gave all that He had.
3. 8He gave all that He had immediately.
B. “God I need help with this problem, so I’m going to give you a little room to work here, but I’m not stepping out completely.”
1. Maybe we get worried that we might end up hungry ourselves.
2. Or, we think, “What’s the use?” What difference will it make?
TS] When we have given our best…When we’ve recognized the problem, we’ve accepted responsibility for the problem, we’re concerned about it and we don’t procrastinate and we don’t ignore it and we don’t pass the buck and we don’t worry about it but instead we do what we can with what we have and give our best to God…
IV. N Expect God to make it happen.
A. 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 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 his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
1. How? I don’t know.
2. What happened to the twelve baskets? (Boy carried them home – “Why didn’t you eat your lunch?”) Jesus turned a little into a lot there didn’t He!
B. God has always specialized in the impossible.
1. O Jeremiah 32 17 “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. …. 27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
2. P Mark 1027 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
C. Q Principle: What we want God to do for us, He often waits to do through us.
1. Jesus could have done this miracle without the disciples or the boy. (Manna from the sky)
2. God chooses to work through people.
D. Notice the implications for us as a church.
1. We have a seemingly impossible task…
2. People are hurting, people need to be ministered to.
3. We need a building, there are lost people, broken families, you name it we have it in our community.
4. God can fix it – But He wants to fix it through us!