Following The Word 12

A Compassionate Provision

Text: John 6:1-15

Introduction

Have you ever been at a time in your life (maybe even recently) where you had to some how make either the finances, food, etc, stretch a lot farther than it naturally could? To feel alone in that kind of circumstance would be emotionally traumatic. However, when you are a child of God through faith in Christ, there is never a circumstance where God leaves you to yourself without be available. Today, John will teach us how Jesus is able to take the little you have and provide a sufficient supply for the need.

John is continuing to prove to us through Jesus’ power, that He is the Son of God and He is able to provide by way of stretching the natural to meet a need of those who were following Him. This provision comes as a result from His compassion toward them. Jesus has that same kind of compassion toward those who will pursue Him today.

This will ultimately be done at Calvary. You and I could try to stretch our good works as far as we can, but they will never reach our soul to a state of spiritual life. Jesus came down and imposed himself into the natural world, into the human story, and provided a way for us all to reach a right relationship with the Father and escape eternal punishment in Hell.

Today, I want to present three things Jesus provided that will teach us how to thrive in our Christian calling during moments when it seems there is not enough

1) Jesus Provided Ministry Margin

(v) & Mark 6:30–31 “30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”

Jesus has sent out the twelve in pairs to preach repentance.

The twelve have returned to report to Jesus

Jesus was concerned about their fatigue. He urged them to pause for a time of rest and revitalization.

They needed to relocate to get the proper rest.

The tasks and to-do’s were non-stop!

Jesus’ perspective was, rest is a vital part of a life being lived for Him.

This rest wast not only considering the physical, but reset for total self.

APPLICATION

1 Corinthians 10:31 “31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Q — Who believe’s we should aim at giving our best to God? Do you think it is possible when you are depleting yourself? NO NO NO!!!

You are a human BEING before you are a human DOER!

Q — How many times have you said, “I am just too busy” or “I am burning the candle at both ends?”

How many of you think that is what God intended?

He is the one who gave His people a day of total rest.

There is a difference between being busy and being balanced/healthy productivity.

Busyness is a product of you not understanding your limitations. GUESS WHAT…YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE!

You were never designed to be a robot.

The best productivity comes from someone who allows for margin in their life.

The white space around the edge of your Bible is called the margins; it is free space; space to breath.

Quote: “Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating” — Dr. Richard Swenson

You must give margin to the eternal priorities:

Rest, scripture, worship, prayer, giving, evangelism, etc.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

If you will surrender your schedule to the authority of God’s Word, God will help you trim off the useless business you think you and your family thinks is important.

What if you took the time to list out what is currently demanding your time. Write a second list of spiritual practices that you currently don’t have time for. Lastly, surrender that list to God, and begin to pray over that as a family (include your children in this).

You need to pray, “Father help us to know what needs to be reduced or even removed from our family so we can live with a greater obedience toward You.”

Q — who here believes the days of their life are numbered?

This requires us to live focused lives!

Don’t surrender God’s gift of time to the loudest voices around you (for some of you, that voice is the voice of your own children), but rather surrender to accomplishing God’s will for your life.

2) Jesus Provided Beyond The Material

A. Jesus’ request became a quest of faith

It made sense for Jesus to ask Philip being he was from the neighboring town of Bethsaida (roughly 9 miles away).

What was Jesus’ request? What answer was He looking for?

Jesus asked for a solution to provide in full for people.

Was this request too much for them to provide on their own? YES.

Jesus was going to not only teach Phillip, but the others that financial resources are the NOT the most important ones!

B. Jesus’ request demands a vertical dimension

What was Philips first move?

It wasn’t a step of simple faith.

Philip did some metal arithmetic in view of the scope of the problem.

A denarrii was the daily wage of the working man. Phillip was saying that 200 denarrii was largely insufficient.

Philip estimated that it would take the best part of two-thirds of a laborer’s annual wages to buy the bare minimum of what would be required—and that would be by no means enough to give everyone a satisfactory meal. The entire idea of buying enough bread was ridiculous. (John Phillips, Exploring The Gospel of John)

In the study of Biblical numerology, 200 is the number of insufficiency.

(v7) “that every one of them may take a little”

Mark 6:37–38 “37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.”

C. Jesus’ request was to lead them to healthy vision

Notice the contrast between the disciples and the young lad!

The lad was willing to offer up what he had, yet the disciples offered up nothing.

What does God have to use if we continue offering up nothing to Him?

Is it not a reoccurring theme that God desires to work through His children?

Quote: “The good news, is that God has all the money He needs. The bad news, is that it is in your pocket!” — Bro. Cleveland Johnson

If God’s request is clear, but the current supply is insufficient, LOOK UP & LOOK AROUND!

Some of you have tried every direction but UP to bring balance into your life and family. No wonder why so many of us are filled with stress and worry!

If you don’t have the up-look filter for your mind when considering the resources around you, you will live out a faith that is at best weak and discouraged.

In the thick of insufficiency, it can be very stressful! However, what if we would turn our stress into TRUST?

The biggest miss would not be the insufficient resources, but rather retracting from the task because you have determined what is and is not possible.

Example: The Macedonian church gave “liberally out of the poverty.”

Jesus can turn “poverty” into “plenty” if you will.

Q — Who here believes God can still today do the miraculous? WHY ARE YOU NOT TRUSTING HIM???

If God puts a plan in your lap, He will also put the resources there to work the plan!!!

However, He may put the resources there in such a way to grow your faith.

Remember this...YOU WORK THE PLAN AND GOD WILL WORK OUT THE FUNDS!

(insert story here)

3) Jesus Provided Above & Beyond The Need

A. Jesus provides compassionately

The very reason Jesus worked this miracle is because He was “filled with compassion.”

Psalm 78:38 “38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, And did not stir up all his wrath.”

Lam. 3:32 “32 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.”

Psalm 103:8 “8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”

Many moments when the Bible said, “Jesus had compassion.”

B. Jesus provides with contentment

Notice the age reference about the one who gave what he had.

LISTEN...age is never a barrier to Christ!

Never for a second think that you are either too young or old to serve Jesus Christ.

C. Jesus provides through what you surrender to Him

a) The Father always approves what Jesus does with what you give Him.

(v11) “Jesus took the loaves”

Jesus asked for the Father’s blessing.

b) Jesus adds optimal effectiveness to what you have.

“as much as they would”

“When they were filled”

“Gather up the fragments”

c) Jesus distributes in light of the future.

This miracle would not just be a message for the moment, but will be a witness for future days.

This tells us that God knows what we need now and what we need every day following.

We today have this miracle recorded that we might come to know who Jesus Christ is!

Here is the sad reality...many will wake away from this miracle in unbelief!

John 6:36 “36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”

Conclusion

Whether or not you realize this, here is the reality: You need Jesus to take you to the very next breath you take, the meal you will eat, the weekly check to deposit, and more importantly to a place of forgiveness and relationship with the Father in Heaven.

If you are a believer, let me encourage you to give to Jesus what you have and He will not fail you.

If you are an unbeliever, I plead with you to surrender a repentance from sin and a trusting faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Whatever the provision may be, the supply rests in the hands of Jesus!