Nothing Is Wasted
Notes
Transcript
If you have your Bibles, please turn to John 5:31-32
“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.
We are going to continue with the Jesus’ discourse, we continue to look at his authority. As we continue to look at His authority in our lives, I want us to explore an issue first and that is our own lives, and does Jesus have full authority in our lives? In the first part of the sermon that is what we all need ask ourselves. There are to many times, when faith becomes inconvenient and we are quick to cast it aside.
In these first 2 verses , Jesus knows that if He talks about Himself then they will reject that testimony, we know this to be true because that is what happens. However He is making a bigger point here, first John is pointing people in His direction, but that the true testimony of Jesus is His life, He doesn’t have to testify about Himself, because His life is enough, and God will make sure you are exalted. Stop worrying about man, there is no pleasing man
“You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
Jesus does not need our testimony but He uses our testimony. John’s work pointed out the darkness in the world and John brought people to the Lord, so that they could be saved. John was not the true light, he was a lamp. For a short time people enjoyed. Again we look at the shallow faith that people have, people want the forgiveness , people thought the messiah was coming to destroy their enemies. People like that. People didn’t like when John the Baptist stood up to King Herod about the King’s sin. John was a lamp in all situations. This is what the Christians need to realize, If Jesus is your Lord and Savior then you need to be lamp in all situations. We do not retreat, we are always burning. There is way to much worry and fear in Christians about the world outside. People don’t want to be labeled as a zealot or some other term. I pray that my faith is strong enough to always burn bright.
“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
John the Baptist was a great voice for the Lord, but Jesus is the author and perfector of our Faith. What He did and continues to do shows that Jesus was sent by the Father. Even the Father testifies about Jesus, in his baptism, the transfiguration, the Triumphal entry into Jersualem at the start of Holy Week, and finally the empty tomb. The evidence is all there but look what Jesus says. Nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe. Keep that in mind for the next set of verses
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
He is speaking to people who believed in God. They did study the scriptures, and yet they didn’t come to Jesus. Again, we need to ask ourselves is Jesus the authority in our lives? Do we make time for studying the scriptures? Do we make time to learn more about our Lord?
“I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
Here Jesus flat out tells them, I do not accept glory from humans, but they did. We do, we want glory from other people, but trust me that is a short lived. To have glory from the Lord is much bigger than anything this world can offer. And now He looks at the Shema from
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Love your God with all your soul and with all your strength. His commandments are to be written on our hearts. We can study the scriptures but If we do not love God with everything that we are, that is how we miss that narrow road.
How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
This is a tough teaching from Jesus, but it goes back to the Shema and goes back to this entire discourse. If you are searching for glory or approval from man, you will not believe. Is Jesus the only authority in your life? We can trick ourselves that we are Christians, but it is the heart that is the true measure, it is the fruit of our lives that is the true evidence.
“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
It isn’t necessary for Jesus to accuse people of anything. The Lord has given us the Bible, it lays out everything that we need to live a righteous life in Jesus. They rejected that Moses wrote about Jesus even though it is clear in Genesis, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Just like we do today, we read what we want to read. They did the same thing. You cannot pick and choose which verses you want to follow and which you will cast aside. You cannot not do that if you want to truly follow Jesus. Again it goes back to the 10 commandments, the Shema, what Jesus said the two greatest commandments are. If wanting the glory or approval of man is first, how are you going to believe what Jesus says? This is what we must wrestle with.
The very reason we pray is because of God’s sovereignty, because we believe that God has it within His power to order things according to His purpose.
R. C. Sproul
When we pray, it is because the Lord is sovereign overall, let us let that permeate through the rest of our lives.
Now we get to one of the biggest miracles , the feeding of the 5,000 , we see just how powerful our Lord is ,
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
Now a great crowd of people had followed him,
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
This is part of the Discipleship training for these disciples, Jesus already knew what he would do. It is the same type of training that we need. Again if we are looking at Jesus and nothing else, there isn’t anything that cannot be accomplished according to His will.
There are far to many times, the Lord asks us this same type of question, maybe not about feeding people but something in our lives. We don’t think it can be done and we walk away.
Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Philip cannot possibly fathom how they can feed all these people, his thinking was much to small.
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
They all ate, every person was fed that day. There is so much going on in these 2 verses. There was plenty of green grass, we go back to Psalm 23 and the people get to rest. Then Jesus feds the people. We take these verse and go back to the woman at the well, we go back to the Manna that is in the book of Exodus. Our Lord cares for your every need. I want to be clear about one thing, your every need not comfort. and He gives you rest. This is the Lord we follow,
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
No aspect of what Jesus taught was a waste or empty words. Even the left over was a lesson for the disciples but a lesson for us as well. Jesus is more than enough for our needs. Jesus and being a servant of the Lord is all we need life. He will provide the rest.
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
This is the highest point of His popularity, the people were ready to make Him and He withdrew Himself from it because to become King in this way was not the will of the Father. He must be the lamb of God before He is the lion Judah.
A take a moment to think about this, they are ready to make Him King and He walks away. The will of the Father is more important than the popularity of people.
A good friend of mine is Ryan Mehaffney. He is the Spotsylvania Commonwealth Attorney, some of you know him as well.
One thing he told me that really stuck with me, was that every time he goes into a court room is that he remembers he is a Christian first.
Every room we enter, everything we do is to be done to the Lord. Sometimes that means stepping up and taking a stand for what the Lord says. Sometimes it means being humble when the crowds of people are ready to anoint you king. But most of all, do we approach each day , as day that we are giving glory to God? Not just when it is easy but especially when it is difficult
Let us pray
