John 6:3-13 | JESUS USES LEFTOVERS

Notes
Transcript

TEXT: JOHN 6:3-13 | JESUS USES LEFTOVERS

INTRO

ILLUSTRATION: There are different ways that you can judge the wealth of someone.
Some may judge it by the car that they drive.
Some may judge it by the home they live in.
Others may judge it by the clothes someone wears.
During bow season, it is determined by if you have a nice bow and a spotting scope.
But for me, I have found another way to determine someone’s wealth.
And it all happens at a restaurant.
No it isn’t if you order a steak instead of a burger
It isn’t if you order something other than water.
They way you know if someone has achieved financial success is when you have reached the end of your meal.
The waiter comes by and asks that questions, “Do you need a box?”
If you still have food on your plate and your say “no”… It’s a pretty clear sign.
When the waiter comes to our table we are asking for multiple boxes and shoving everything in we can find.
It’s the leftovers that tell the story!
EXPLANATION: Jesus has made His way up onto a mountainside, when He notices a multitude of people approaching.
He knows what they are coming for… To witness more miracles.
Rather than trying to escape away, Jesus has compassion on the people and He begins to ask His disciples how they place to feed all these people.
Philip answers that 8 months wages wouldn’t being enough to buy enough food for everyone there to have even a little.
The Bible tells us there were 5000 men there, besides women and children.
Some have estimated there could have been upwards of 15,000-20,000 people total there on that day.
And what is even crazier, according to the Bible, it seems like no one thought it would be a good idea to bring any food.
I know the chaos that was about to ensue, because I have children and a wife.
And I know what happens when they get hungry!
To say that this was a crises would be an understatement.
As the disciples look around Andrew speaks up and informs them that there is a single little boy here who’s mom had sent him with a little sack lunch of 5 pieces of bread and 2 small fish.
And Andrew asks a logical question, “what are they among so many?”
We know the answer… they are nothing.
It was just a little lunch for one little boy.
If they split it up, now no one will be filled… as least if they let the little boy keep it someone would have a decent meal.
But Jesus takes that little meal from that little boy, and He has his disciples make all the men sit down and then He blesses it.
And one handful at a time, Jesus hands pieces of bread and fish to each of His disciples to distribute to the crowd.
You can imagine the surprise of the disciples as they came back to Jesus after dropping off the first handful and being shocked that there was anything left to make another trip.
And yet there was more.
Over and over the disciples would make their way back to Jesus and find another handful to take out and distribute.
It takes time to feed that many people, probably hours, but as the last person receives their bread and fish, you can imagine the amazement of the disciples!
“I didn’t believe it was possible.” - Thomas
“I never denied it was possible.” Peter
Judas said nothing, he was just shoving pieces in his pockets.
The people had come to witness a miracle and they had seen one
But in the midst of their celebration and excitement, they look over and see Jesus looking around
They believe Jesus was done with the miracle, but he wasn't done just yet
John 6:12 KJV 1900
When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
While the disciples were still focused on the loaves, Jesus was concerned with the leftovers
APPLICATION: We live in a world that throws away broken things
Landfills are full of people’s stuff that they didn't want anymore
If something is broken, it's easier to jump on Amazon and just order a new one than try to fix it
And while that is the case with broken things, sadly it is so often the case with broken people as well.
We don’t know what to do when someone is broken.
We don’t know what to do with ourselves when we are broken.
And if we are honest with ourselves, we are all broken in one way or another.
Situations and circumstances that have left our lives in pieces
People that we once trusted, have hurt us.
Things that we thought would bring us fulfillment have left us empty
Everywhere you look, you see fragments of lives.
There’s division and divisiveness
Broken families, broken marriages, broken lives!
You may have come in this morning with a smile on your face trying to give the appearance that you have it all together.
Someone asked you how you were doing and you said the customary, “I’m good, how are you.”
But inside, you know you aren’t “good”
You’re hurting… You’re broken.
Maybe you’re here this morning and your life isn’t falling apart, but you can just sense things aren’t what they should be.
Friend, no matter who you are, or where you are from, this morning we can learn some lessons from some leftovers that will leave you encouraged this morning.
Because so much of life isn’t spent celebrating the loaves… so much of life is spent with the leftovers.
For a few moments this morning, let’s learn some lessons from the leftover!

V.12, JESUS CARED ABOUT THE LEFTOVERS

John 6:12 KJV 1900
When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
EXPLANATION: It’s an amazing thing to think that Jesus cared about the leftovers.
There were so many other things that he could have been focused on.
In fact, later that day, Jesus would send His disciples out on a boat and when the storm would come raging, Jesus would come walking out to the boat on the waves.
Jesus had 3 1/2 of ministry He was going to spend doing incredible works on this earth:
Healing the blind
Healing the lame
Healing the deaf
Healing the sick
Casting out demons
Teaching the Truth
Preparing to give His life!
And yet here in John 6, He took time to care about leftovers?
Friend, if it were me with Jesus, I would have been saying, “We don’t have time for leftovers, let’s keep on going for the next big thing!”
But Jesus wasn’t concerned with the bright lights and the notoriety and the next big thing.
Jesus was focused on the forgotten leftovers.
APPLICATION: And I’m thankful He was.
Because, my life, is just a bunch of broken pieces and fragments.
Leftovers of bad choices and dumb decisions.
And the reason I make those bad decisions is because the bible says I am a sinner… and you are too.
Romans 3:10 KJV 1900
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23 KJV 1900
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
You know the thing that makes God so glorious is that He is absolutely perfect.
He has no sin and He cannot sin.
And the one thing that separates us from God more than anything is that you and I are sinners.
And the Bible says, Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 KJV 1900
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That death is a separation from God for all of eternity.
There are only two places that are going to last forever, one is heaven and the other is hell.
And if sin separates us from God and God is in heaven, then that should tell you where you and I are headed in our sins.
But the second half of that verse says “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
God has offered you and I eternal life through Jesus Christ!
Romans 5:8 KJV 1900
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
While you were broken and fragmented with a life that was nothing but leftover pain and heartache, Jesus Christ died for you!
He paid for your sin!
But how do you receive that gift?
Romans 4:4–5 KJV 1900
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Romans 10:9–10 KJV 1900
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:13 KJV 1900
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
If you are here this morning and you are doing your best to earn the forgiveness of your sins, can I remind you there is no amount of work you can do that will make God owe you anything!
It is only through the gift of God… the sacrifice of His perfect Son Jesus Christ that you can have the promise of spending eternity in heaven!
Oh friend, I am so thankful that Jesus cared about the leftovers.
He didn’t want any of them to be lost!

V.13, JESUS DOESN’T WASTE THE LEFTOVERS

John 6:13 KJV 1900
Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
EXPLANATION: This is an absolutely incredible scene!
After the disciples had made trip after trip handing out the loaves and the fish, Jesus then tells them to go back and collect the leftovers.
And as they do, they come back with 12 baskets full!
Now, there is much debate about what they did with the baskets, and no one can say for sure.
I kinda think they took them to the little boys house and he was blessed because he was willing to give what he had to the Lord.
But regardless of what they did with the leftovers… what we do know is that Jesus didn’t waste them.
And the truth is, Jesus never wastes the fragments.
ILLUSTRATION: The Japanese art of Kintsugi is different from normal pottery.
It differs because it isn’t the making of a new pot on the pottery wheel.
No, it is the art of taking broken pottery and repairing it with gold.
Instead of throwing away a beloved piece of pottery, it is fixed in a way that doesn’t pretend it hasn’t been broken, but instead honors the brokenness.
It highlights the repaired seams with liquid gold, making that pottery stronger and even more valuable because it has been reinforced with golden scars.
APPLICATION: Friend, God has a purpose for the fragments in your life!
He has a purpose for the brokenness you have gone through!
Through the situations of life that have left you feeling like all that remains is the leftovers of what was, God wants to use your broken situation for His glory and for your good.
He wants to weave the gold of his goodness into the brokenness of your situation!
Romans 8:28 KJV 1900
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
James 1:2–4 KJV 1900
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
ILLUSTRATION: It’s like the person who lifts weights and exercises.
Why do most people stop?
Because it’s hard and it hurts.
But when do you see the results?
When you understand that pain and the hard is good!
There is a purpose in the pain!
APPLICATION: Friend, the fragments of your life have a purpose!
God hasn’t allowed you to go through the things you’ve gone through on accident!
He has a purpose behind it!
Maybe it is for your growth!
Maybe it’s for His glory!
Maybe you can’t see it from where you are now, but one day you will look back and it will make sense then!
God never wastes leftovers!
And He isn’t going to waste them in your life either!
Jesus Cared about the Leftovers, Jesus never wastes leftovers

V.12-13, JESUS USES THE LEFTOVERS

John 6:12–13 KJV 1900
When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
EXPLANATION: I don’t want you to miss this final incredible piece of this amazing miracle.
Yes the feeding of the 5000 was amazing
Yes the filling of 12 baskets of fragments is miraculous and encouraging.
But don’t miss this… Jesus could have collected the fragments Himself.
But instead He used these 12 broken men, to be a part of collecting the fragments with Him.
I don’t know what they did with the 12 baskets of leftovers after they collected them.
But I am confident why there were 12 baskets.
It’s because there were 12 disciples.
I know that may seem simple, but don’t miss it.
When they were handing out the loaves and the fish, they were distributing it as much as they could carry at a time.
They were pressed trying to get it all out there.
But now things had quieted down on the other side of the miracle
And each one of these broken men had their own basket, and piece by piece they filled their basket with the fragments that remained.
Because the final miracle that Jesus did on that day on that mountainside, was He used broken people, with broken pasts, and broken lives to fill their baskets with the leftovers of from others.
Because Jesus uses leftovers!
ILLUSTRATION: Luke 10, the Good Samaritan, The priest, the Levite, A Certain Samaritan bound him up and took care of him.
He saw someone who had been knocked down, broken, and he helped him get back up.
Because he did that, we call him "the Good Samaritan"
Because God used a broken man, to help a broken man back up again!
APPLICATION: Friend, could it be that God wants to use your broken life, to collect the broken lives all around you?
To come alongside others who are broken and pick them up and show them that God is a God of miracles and He can use broken lives!
Maybe God wants you this morning no just to be a Christian… maybe He wants you to be a “Good Christian”
One that will use the leftovers of your broken life to come alongside another broken life and lift them up again…
And show them that Jesus has a way of using leftovers for His glory!

CONCLUSION

ILLUSTRATION: At 22 years old Jim MacLaren's Future looked extremely bright.
He graduated from Yale and had a promising career in football as well as acting.
But in a moment everything changed when one night as he rode his motorcycle, he was hit by a bus.
At first they though he was dead, but by some miracle, his life was saved.
He began to recover except for one crucial thing, Jim had lost his left leg below the knee.
He was determined not to allow that to stop him and over the next 8 years he dedicated himself to becoming one of the best one legged athletes in the world.
He began by running 10k races and eventually began competing in triathlons where he had to run 26.2 miles, followed by swimming 2.4 miles, and finally bike 112 mile.
He was incredible and all seemed to be going well.
Until one day while Jim was competing in Los Angeles, a van was mistakenly let on the street where Jim was cycling on his bike in a competition.
He was struck by the van, and thrown against a light post, snapping his neck and leaving him paralyzed.
He was now confined to a wheel chair, and he suffered constant pain as the nerves to his arms and legs were not completely severed, and he would suffer from spastic fits.
After 9 months of painful rehabilitation, he was living independently and giving motivational speeches.
But while things look ok on the outside, Jim's heart was in pain.
The agony of realizing that he would never walk again sent Jim into deep depression, and he became addicted to cocaine as he tried to numb his hearts pain.
One night Jim rolled his wheelchair down a street where he had once raced marathons, and he was overcome with grief as he looked to the sky and cried to God, "Why are You doing this to me?"
That night, Jim faced a choice: he didn't want to die, but neither did he want to live a quadriplegic.
He was powerless to change his circumstances.
That night, he decided to make peace with what had happened to him.
Jim finally found that comfort when he read through the book of Job for the tenth time and he realized that God worked through trials and troubles to draw men closer to Him.
For the rest of his life until he died in 2010, Jim was a source of comfort and encouragement for many other wounded and hurting people.
Jim MacLaren realized that his broken, fragmented, leftover of a life, could be used to help others who were broken, fragmented, and leftover as well!
APPLICATION: Friend, I don’t know what you’ve been through or what you are going through right now.
But I do know that if you are still breathing, God isn’t done with you.
Maybe God brought you here today because you’ve never accepted Christ as your Savior.
Why don’t you stop trusting in what you can do to get yourself to heaven, and instead trust in what Jesus already did for you!
Maybe God brought you here to let you know that He has a purpose for your brokenness.
Would you allow Him to weave that gold through the fragments of your life to make a beautiful vessel for His glory.
And Maybe God brought you here to let you know that He wants to use the fragments of your life to reach into someone else’s brokenness and lift them up!
That’s what Jesus did for you when His body was broken on the cross!
He did it so that you could be lifted up out of your sins!
Friend, let’s call the waiter over today and ask for a box… because there’s a lot of leftovers that God still wants to use!
Let’s give those precious fragments to Him!
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