QJA Abundance
Questions Jesus Asked • Sermon • Submitted
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Sunday Night
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Only story recorded in all four gospels
Did the disciples understand and were they able to increase their faith?
Maybe not, Matthew and Mark also record the feeding of four thousand
Mark 8
In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”
Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven.”
So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away,
separate story
If you go on a missionary journey, and you find a village with lots of children, and you fill your pockets with candy, you might feel a little like Jesus felt as the people pressed Him.
He was a pastor shepherd that had to find time to get away and rest and rejuvenate. His disciples had been “sent” to go to the people and preach repentance, verse 12. When they came back they really wanted to tell Jesus all they had heard and seen. So, he had them get in a boat and they sailed a little ways, but could not escape the multitude.
What is Jesus attitude for the people in verse 34?
What would be your temperament if the people pressed you.
First and only cruise to the Bahamas.
What if you had won the 1b dollars an people pressed you always and at all times, what then?
Not Jesus. How about a picture of a field of baby birds? That may have been the picture in Jesus mind. They need to be fed.
So Jesus teaches them. It gets dark. Disciples are hungry and weary. They talk to Jesus like your kids they want to know if its time to leave yet! You always make us go, you know we hate to go there…whine, whine, whine!
Sally drives seperate, why? I’ll stay and visit and talk till the last person leaves. She’s hungry, and in the past, she had to feed the kids. There I am holding up the show! They had enough church and I’m just warming up!
What is the disciples concern? Verse 35 and 36. What did the disciples really want? Get these people out of here.
But Jesus asks a question. What is the question? verse 38
The disciples, “is he messing with us? He knows we don’t have food for all these. Why does he do this to us?”
Check your pockets (Bradley field cookout; ran home three times to look in the freezer for hotdogs.)
How much food did they have?
Well, lets pray. Pass it out.
What is the outcome? 12 baskets full.
Potluck dinners can be like that. Well, I dint think there is enough. Everyone eats and what? Plenty.
Miracle = Sign that points toward God
Remember, there are two stories recorded but they both end the same way. How much bread do you have?
How much bread do you have this time? I think what he wanted to hear was…plenty!
God has plenty. God supplies abundantly.
We should have a theology of abundance. The trouble is, we look at what our neighbor has and compare it to what we have “materially.” When God wants to offer us intangible abundance.
Love beyond measure
Respect from many
Patience for all
Longsuffering with the waekest
Forgiveness enough to forgive others
Grace to be passed around
Peace that heals
I want a bigger TV!
Walter Brueggemann writes it this way. “God created the world in an orgy of fruitfulness, everything in its kind is to multiply the overflowing goodness that pours from God’s creator spirit.”
, manna
A theology of abundance is marked by trust and gratitude. How do you show the Lord gratitude for all He provides?
The disciples, the Israelites were living in a land of scarcity. Work every day for what you need.
Do you have a grandmother who grew up in the great depression and horded plastic forks and spoons? Cool whip bowls with lids?
I hear the question Jesus asks those who think they are living in scarcity. in my mind. Do you trust me? I have to ask myself, what does abundance look like? Then I have to look inwardly, not at my neighbor.
Looking inwardly, do you have enough? If not, what don’t you have enough of? What does He need to supply you? Have you asked?
I heard Clay Scroggins tell a story on a podcast of Andy Stanley and his immediate boss, sitting at a table with him for a meal. Clay began to tell of the birthday party that was going to happen that very night for his 8 year old son. He began to ask advice of his friends and explain the party and the two men at the table, his boss and his bosses boss began to weep. They sobbed. He said to himself, what did I do, what did I say?
When they calmed down one said this, “I remember our sons 8th birthday, and when I think of the fact that I can never celebrate another 8th birthday with him again, I feel the pain of scarcity. I will never have that again.”
In St Louis there is a University of the Catholic faith where Jesuits, practice. Jesuits practice poverty, chastity, and obedience. Gave Mark Quanstrom a book. (story)
Lets flip this back to abundance.
Part of me is so enamored with the fact that Jesus had the disciples participate in the miracle. Take them and pass them out. Now go pick up the scraps. What do you have?
Not a magic trick. A God lesson. I took what you thought wasn’t enough and i blessed it and made it into something.
What do you have in abundance you can give to Jesus. Isn’t it funny how we answer this question.
Nothing. I have nothing to give. I’m out of time, I’m short on money, my gifts are useless to the church. Same question as “how many loaves do you have?”
The temptation for us is to say, not much, not enough, just a few loaves.
Sorry.
Can you hear Jesus say, just offer that. Its more than enough.
We devalue don’t we. He can;t do it, she can;t do it, blah blah.
Woman who gave two mites, a little yeast leavens the whole loaf, the mustard seed, the smallest seed and on and on. Mark 12:41
Millard Fuller started Habitat for Humanity. 1 house, built in partnership with the poor and volunteer labor sold to the poor at a no interest loan. Just a box full of pamphlets in the trunk of his car trying to get people to buy in.
Today, four decades later, hundreds of thousands of houses in one hundred countries. 600,000 families live in a Habitat home.
Today, Millards dream is to eliminate substandard housing.
Scott Harrison, Charity Water, began with 750 people and a birthday party. 663m people without clean drinking water: 29,725 Projects completed for 8.4 Million people.
Mother Teresa, I have three pennies and a dream
God takes the small and turns them to abundance
Even the smallest glimmer of faith
Back to , following the miracle the disciples forgot to take leftovers with them and Jesus took the opportunity to tell them about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.
Look at the questions of
Jesus gives us a look at divine power.
When He asks, how much bread do you have? He is not asking us for an inventory of baked goods. He is asking for an inventory of your heart.
You see crumbs, Jesus sees a feast.
When He asks you how much do you have? Your answer is, with you Jesus, more than enough.