Called To Extraordinary Experiences

March 21, 2021 Called To Extraordinary Experiences Good morning and welcome to LEC. We are a multi-generational, multi-cultural Pentecostal community of faith located in Lake County, Ohio on Antioch Road. I'm Pastor Bill Isaacs. For the past several weeks, we have been looking in the Gospel of Mark, looking for the Jesus encounters that change our lives and heal our hearts. Introduction: Have you ever experienced something extraordinary?-I mean something that was way bigger than you, more than you could imagine, a story that would be hard to believe unless you had been there? Consider a young boy heading out to something he may know little about and headed there with no idea that before the day is over, he will see and experience something so incredible, he will be telling the story for the rest of his life. The boy I talking about is in the Mark 6 story (though unnamed) we will look at today. Let's read the passage... (Mark 6:30-44) The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat." But Jesus said, "You feed them." "With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" "How much bread do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed. Every moment with Jesus is a teaching moment-there is no wasted days or moments-there is directed intent to everything He does with you, for you and in you. Can God count on you? Will you believe as much as you can no matter what? If God asked you to do something (no me, not Jerome)-God asked you, even if was hard, inconvenient or sacrificial, would you do it? * What if God asked you to go to someone who hurt you deeply and forgive them and offer reconciliation-would you be willing to do it? * What if God asks you to give a financial gift to LEC that would put a deep strain on your personal finances, would it have to make sense for you to obey God? * What if God called you to a ministry assignment that stretches you to very limits of your abilities, talents or time? I can tell you God's greatest interest in you and your journey of faith is contained in one question-WILL YOU OBEY HIM? The story in Mark 6 answers 3 important but personal questions that involve obedience, vision and extraordinary faith and trust in the power of God to do beyond what you or I could do on our own... Look at this... Get In Over Your Head (v. 37) But Jesus said, You feed them. Where are you? Chances are-God has you right where He wants you-your steps are ordered by the Lord. God always calls you to experiences that position in over your head. Why does He do that? * To teach us how to trust in Him * To teach us that we can accomplish much with His help We like convenience-simple church without sacrifice, we need faith to be easy-because life is so hard. Guess what? Faith is hard and always pushes you beyond your limits. God is not calling you to anything you can do without him...if you haven't been scared to death by what God is asking you don't understand... What You Think Determines What You Get (v.37) "With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" What Do You See? I can relate to this-Jesus looks at the disciples, agrees something needs to be done and then puts the responsibility on them-and they say "what you are asking is beyond our ability!" What are we looking at? Our ability, our humanity-it's why we don't believe boldly-cause we think the miracle is about what we can do- This story is retold in John 6 and there we learn it is Philip to whom Jesus said "find us something to work with" but the interesting tag that John puts on it... (John 6:6) He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. God's not counting on you to come up with the plan-He's got the plan-He's waiting on you to trust Him for His plan. My lost husband My unsaved children My financial situation My physical problems My relational issues The Miracle Is Not In What You Have To Offer But What You Put Into His Hands To Bless (v.38) How much bread do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." The widow -with only a flask of oil 2 Kings 4 What do you have? Borrow as many vessels as you can from neighbors As long as she had a vessel-the oil continued to flow The magnitude of what God blesses is determined by how much you put in His hands- If you only give little, He can only bless little If you give Him everything, He can bless EVERYTHING What Do You Have to Give? * What do you need to place in the hands of Jesus so that He can bless it? * What would happen if you placed your HEALTH in the hands of Jesus so He can bless it? * What would happen if you placed your FINANCES in the hands of Jesus so He can bless it? o Your marriages o Your children There is a power in the blessing Conclusion: We are not told what happened to the 12 remaining baskets and it's interesting that he blessed more than was needed but isn't that like Jesus-more than enough? What do you need to place in the hands of Jesus so that He can bless it? God's Grace Is Transforming! God I'm a sinner I'm sorry for my sins I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe you will forgive me of my sins I choose Jesus