When You Finaly Figure It Out.

Intro:

My Favorite Illustrations You Almost Waited Too Long

You Almost Waited Too Long

Roger Shelton, a pastor from Nashville, Tennessee, was in Pusan, Korea, on an evangelistic mission. With an interpreter, he visited a man who had creeping paralysis. Both of his legs were paralyzed and the disease threatened his life if no cure could be found.

Entering a dimly lighted room, Shelton found the man crouched on the floor. Speaking through the interpreter, he told the stricken man he had come to talk with him about Jesus Christ. The Korean replied, “I know. I have been waiting for you a long time.” The interpreter responded by saying they had arrived at the appointed time.

The Korean explained. “That’s not what I meant. My people are Buddhist, and I have been a Buddhist. But Buddha gives me no comfort.” Then he pointed to a Korean Bible. He noted that he had read through it twice. “It tells of a great one. I have waited for someone to come and tell me more about him.” He said that he had believed that if the Bible was true, God would send someone to tell him.

Shelton told the man about Jesus. He readily believed. As they were leaving, the man thanked them for coming. Shelton said, however, that the man’s final words shook every fiber of his emotional being.

“You almost waited too long.”

There is a tragedy among believers today. When a Christian wait too long to act upon the merciful hand of God, they can miss experiencing the great miracles and lesson that God wants to teach us. Unlike the man in the illustration, who was waiting on the God news of Christ for salvation, Christians rely on themselves far to often and miss what Gods is up to in theit life.

Best Learned From Experience

John 6:5–6 NKJV

5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

The eye can be misleading.

Philip, no doubt saw the great number of people.

It’s easy to measure a situation by what we see.

The challenge is to not see with our eyes, but see with our faith.

The occasion before you may be a test of your faith.

How you handle it will show your measure of reliance on God.

Could it be that your troubles are God’s way of saying, “Trust me?”

God is not caught off guard.

He know the trouble you would have before you got there.

If he knows, then he knows how to help you.

Help doesn’t always come by deliverance.

Sometimes help come through endurance.

What is God teaching you.

How Can I Make It Better

John 6:7–9 NKJV

7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

Trying to make a way out can be exhausting.

Phillip was looking at the crowd and calculating the cost.

Our math is not God’s math.

What we think it will take is not the same as what God knows it will take.

Our outlook on a situation is measured in terms of human limitations.

What happens when we fail to meet the problem needs?

Disappointment - That we were not sufficient enough to make things better.

Fear - That we may never see the other side of the trial.

Pain - That comes from not understanding or thinking you are not enough.

Seclusion - Withdrawal from others to isolate the shame.

Consistent relying on oneself will cause you to revert to irrational methods as a default.

Even the other disciples got in on the problem solving efforts.

They came up with an irrational effort by mentioning the Lad and his lunch.

What could that lunch do in the hands of man?

What could that lunch do in the hands of God?

If you always point to self for an escape, then replying on God will be a much more difficult task

It takes being repetitive in asking God for help to grow into an understanding that he can and will make a way.

It’s a real challenge and must be a discipline in our spiritual journey.

When We Finish, God Is Just Getting Started

John 6:10–11 NKJV

10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

It is important to pay close attention to what God does in our life.

Jesus told them to have the people sit down.

Paying attention to what God is doing will help us understand how much he loves us.

God moves for us out of love.

God stands still for us out of love.

Either way it’s a demonstration of love for us that needs our attention.

Growth in Christ only comes when I apply myself in his teachings.

The disciples learned the sufficiency of Christ that would help them stand later when they were persecuted and killed for their faith.

He delivered them, and he also allowed pain for their growth.

It was the early lessons that taught them to stand with Jesus and let him lead.

Others Will Glean From Your Obedience

John 6:12–14 NKJV

12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

The harvest out of obedience was plentiful.

When God moves, it produces a harvest that others can benefit from.

It may prompt others to follow Christ.

Watching you could teach others that Jesus loves them too.

The people said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

They found the truth they had been looking for in Jesus.

Your faith can be a teacher to those who struggle in their faith.

Keep pressing on in trust and watch God fill the baskets with leftovers!

Conclusion:

What has you struggling today?

It’s time that you and I let Jesus break the chains of limitations that we put on ourselves. I

t’s time that we allow God to move in our lives and change what is broken in us.