Feeding of the 5,000 Written Sermon John 6:1-15

If you are a pastor or lay person who wants to use this to preach in church – that is why I posted it.  I don’t care about credit, I only care that God’s word is preached and Christ is glorified.  I pray He uses this sermon in a mighty way through you.  You have my permission to alter it and use it however God leads you.  God bless you in your ministry.
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Some versions say they ate until they were satisfied.

Dr. Mike Richards said he saw two miracles here – one – that Jesus was able to feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, and the other miracle was that the crowd was satisfied.

Week 1 – Jesus changed the water into wine at the wedding inCana.

Week 2 – Jesus healed the nobleman’s son (from a distance)

Week 3 – Jesus healed the paralytic at the pool.

Sign #4. – Feeds 5000 people.

Only miracle or sign that’s told in all 4 gospels.

What we don’t have.

What we do have. Jesus Meets every need.  What we have is sufficient when we turn it over to Jesus.

Jesus let’s nothing go to waste.

We often forget who we’re with.

We often concentrate on what we don’t have.

Last week naysayers – Don’t want to spend much time on this, but I noticed that Jesus specifically asksPhilip Where they should buy bread – CAUTION – It’s a set-up!!!!

Don’t you hate it when people ask you the questions that they already have the answer to?

I just wanted to see what you were going to say.  We do this often in training.  With a kid – I’m not sure how this works, wonder if we can figure it out.

This is a test forPhilip –

He probably SHOULD have said something like, “Well Jesus, I’ve seen you provide wine at a wedding from water, I know you healed with a word, and while I don’t want to sound like Satan, is it possible you could turn these stones into bread?   Or is there any chance you could just make some bread materialize?

No, he doesn’t go the “I’ve seen what you can do, I’m sure you can handle this” route.

I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t do any better.

It’s more like, what, are you kidding me?  If there was even a place to buy it (which there’s not) we would need 6 to 8 months wages to just give all these people a little taste.

We don’t have a place to buy it – strike 1.

We don’t have the money – Strike 2.

The coach walks out and puts in a pinch hitter.  Pinch hitter – we’re in a pinch.

Enter Andrew.  OK, straight up, We’ve asked everyone – “got any fish?” No. “got any fish?” No. “got any fish?” No. “got any fish?” No.

4,999 times they heard no.  One time they heard yes.  Other gospel tells us a young boy had something.  Some say a boys sack lunch, others say that’s too much bread for a sack lunch – others say probably a vendor – regardless, Here’s what we’ve got Jesus, 5 loaves and 2 fish.  I know what the fish would have been like.  Probably dried pieces of fish like we had inAfrica.   They check

Here’s what we do have, but there’s no way this will suffice. –

Who will be the judge of whether it’s enough?

There’s a difference when we control what we have verses when we turn it over to Jesus.  If Andrew had kept it, he would have been right, no way it would have been enough.

But when we turn it over to Jesus – WOW – What He can do with what little we have.  If you have the faith of a mustard seed…faith in what or whom?  Faith in Jesus.  Have faith in Jesus and He’ll meet every need – spiritual and physical.

And He almost always uses people to meet those needs.

They gave it to Jesus.  Jesus gives it BACK to them, and has them pass it out.

Reminds me of giving our money and time to Him – Diane and I give it to Jesus through the church for His glory, Jesus keeps blessing us giving us the ability to pass ourselves through our time, and our possessions out.

Don’t concentrate on what we don’t have, or how little we do have.  Whatever we have is enough if we place it in the Master’s hands.  He’ll make do with what we have and bless it, and use us to bless others.

Some of you think you’re not the right one for something, but Jesus says you’re exactly the one.

Next we notice he doesn’t waste anything.  “Gather us the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost.”

Upper Room July 12 – picking up the fragments of our lives – Always an abundance when we place it in Christ’s hands.  There’s always something left.

• We look at things as not worthy of salvaging. (American Restoration)
• We look at something or someone and see little value. (Pawn Stars)
• We go to a restaurant and they ask us if we want a take-out container – we look at the last few bites and say no, there’s not enough left here to do anything with. (Perspective – green beans left when we pull up the plants.)
• We say we can’t do what we used to do, so there’s nothing left that’s worth doing (woman in hospital praying for the helicopter as it flies in.)
• We say there’s nothing there – Jesus says if you have the faith of a mustard seed.

Don’t forget who you’re with.

They were with Jesus. 

(If you want to include this part, you can finish this thought out and come up with a closing.)