Trusting God in the Negative

How to Handle a Not Enough Situation • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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Many times in life we are faced with a not enough situation but this text opens our eyes up to the power of the God we serve. God is one who is able to provide in unimaginable ways. The significance of God's power is that he does not need much to multipy in abundance. God is able to work when we surrender, sit and see the salvific power of his hand.

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Surrender, Sit, See

Introduction

Hove you ever went to the store to purchase things that you need get in a long line frustrated at the wait only to get to the register swipe your card and find the embarrassing moment of declined on the pay station monitor. You know its money in the bank only to log onto your account to find out the account is negative. Not a good feeling.

If we are honest we have had moments where people have asked us how we are doing and we replied that everything was alright but we lied because we were too embarrassed to admit times were hard. Our pride causes us to live in secrecy waiting for the moment that we can pull ourselves up by our own boot straps.

I find our text encouraging today because it teaches us how to trust God in a not enough situation. Would not life be better if you had more than enough. More than enough hope, more than enough forgiveness, more than enough faith, more than enough friends and more that enough resources for the journey.

In fact if we are honest most of us showed up today with more than enough drama, more than enough disdain, more than enough haters, more than enough sickness, more than enough hopelessness, more than enough doubt, more than enough criticism from family, more than enough marriage disagreements and more than enough folk telling us what we already know but not enough answers and support.

Life leaves us with the burning question of how do I handle a not enough situation. The answer is found today in the largest fish fry known to man. Jesus takes two fish and five loaves of bread and begins to feed over five thousand people.

This story reinforces for every believer how God is a very present help in the time of need. He does not leave us in despair but he makes his presence known by his works.

This story solidifies the reality that not only is God present but that he is also able and capable to provide for us when our need is greater than our resources.

Lastly John gives us loving quality of how patient God is with his people as we learn to trust him more and more in. I heard the songwriter say tis so sweet to trust in Jesus just to take him at his word just to rest upon his promise ore for grace to trust him more.

God is patient with us because he is waiting on us to surrender our broken, destitute, hopeless not enough situations to him.

If you want to know how to trust God in the negative the first thing you need to learn to do is learn to surrender.

I.Surrender

The meal that the young lad had was that of a slave meal. it was a meal of the poor. Two sardines and five barley biscuit cakes. it was nothing but a sack lunch with a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich no milk. It was nothing but a syrup sandwich on wheat bread. It was symbolic of being in an impoverished circumstance. There was only enough for the young lad. Many of us are living in an impoverished circumstance simply because we refuse to surrender our circumstance to God.

We have accepted our circumstance as unchangeable and we live check to check praying that our job won’s play out. Circumstance has some of us living in the poverty of forgiveness. Some of are living in the poverty of pride. Some of us are living in the poverty of hopelessness. God wants us to get to a place where we are able to surrender our life’s circumstance into his hands.

A. Surrender to his will:

God’s will is that we trust him with our problems.

The young lad had enough sense to surrender what he had to Jesus.

Our power is limited but God’s power is unlimited.

God’s will is for his people to live in abundance. Poverty drains you and leaves you like the crowd destitute and hungry for an answer. God desires you to live in an abundance of love, forgiveness, hope , faith and resources.

B. Surrender to his way:

a. God will intentionally place us in circumstances that foster hopelessness in order for us to realize how much we need him.

b. God has already made the way before the problem showed up.

Some say that God will not put more on you than you can bear. I've come to contend for the opposite that God will put more on you than you can bear. The circumstance was more than the people were able to bear. But even then God asked a question of how should we feed these people. The disciples began to think about there own way and quickly realized that what we have is not enough. This was really a test. Jesus already knew what he planned to do before he showed up.

God allows his people to be under the burden of unimaginable circumstance not for them to figure it out the answer but for them to see that he is the answer. Jesus is the first and the last. He is the alpha and omega. the beginning and the end. He is the way the truth and the life. Lazarus was dead until he met the resurrector. Somebody was sick until they met the healer. Somebody was suicidal and depressed until they met the mid regulator. The feeding of the 5000 miracle is really John giving credibility to the fact that Jesus is the bread of life and when we surrender to his way he is the bread that keeps on giving . he is the water that never runs dry.

C. Surrender in worship to God in Thanksgiving:

a. Worship puts us in his presence

There is no worry in his presence.

There is no sleepless nights in his presence.

There is no sickness in his presence.

There are no negative statistics that can survive in his presence.

There is no division in his presence.

There is no doubt in his presence.

There is no not enough situations in his presence.

b. Worship connects us to the power source

plug into the power source on Monday.

plug into the power source on Tuesday

plug into the power source on Wednesday.

Plug into the power source on Thursday.

Plug into the power source on Friday.

Plug into the power source on Saturday.

Plug into the power source on Sunday.

c. True worship comes from a heart that is grateful for the little bit we do have.

When Jesus took the two fish and the five loaves it clearly wasn't enough to feed the 5000. But regardless of the amount Jesus gave thanks for what he did have. While in worship Jesus began to break of the bread until people were able to eat as much as their stomach could hold. Jesus teaches us a valuable lesson about worshipping God with Thanksgiving. How can God bless you in abundance with a closed fist?

Being thankful lets God know that you are grateful for what little bit you do have and God in turn blesses you with more than you can ever imagine. We’ve got to surrender in worship to God thanking him for the little bit.

II. Sit

Many times when we surrender to God’s we are reluctant to be still long enough to watch God work. we get busy with working, we get busy with raising the children and paying bills. But in this next season of your life God is warning us to sit down somewhere. In this season getting too busy may cause you to miss the abundance that God is trying to provide in your life.

A. Sit in Anticipation of a filled appetite:

a. Being still knowing that God can move.

b. Being still knowing that God will move.

The people were hungry and tired. They could have ignored the the gesture to sit down but they sat in anticipation of being filled. Many of us have surrendered our circumstance but we fail to sit in bible study so that God’s word can sit in our hearts and his word can then produce abundance in our life.

They sat in anticipation that Something was about to happen. they were expecting God to do something. When we show up to to sit and be taught we ought to anticipate being filled. The text tells us that they were filled with more than enough. God’s word is more than enough for any problem that we could ever face.

B. Sit in Accountability to God’s people:

a. We have to learn to serve others even when we are in need.

b. We serve through the conviction of what we've seen him do in the past.

How did they get the message out that folks needed to sit down. They had no sound system nor did they have a megaphone.

The significance of sitting is that those who are hungry sit. But every body can’t sit because someone has to serve. Notice that Jesus requested that the disciples tell the men to sit down. Many had to sit but twelve had to serve. Our job as servants of God is not to judge the hungry but encourage them to sit down and watch God work.

The text also notes that those who ate were those who sat.

C. Sit in Abundance:

a. When God multiples get ready for left overs.

Notice that after over 5000 people ate. Jesus tells the servants to gather up the fragments so that nothing will be lost. Talking about an overflow. Those who ate in the crown were blessed to capacity. But those who served were blessed beyond measure.

III. See

Many times we see things in the natural but we miss its spiritual application. But the word saw in this text means that not only did the people see what God did in the flesh they say and recognized who he really is.

A. See his Goal:

His glory is simply his honor and his splendor.

B. See his Goal:

God’s goal is so that men may see him for who he really is. The crowd declared that surely tis is the messenger of God that Moses spoke about that would come to us as the messiah.

B. See his Glory:

His glory is simply his honor and his splendor.

Conclusion

As I conclude I want to introduce you to a young lad by the name of Virgil Smith down in my mother’s home town of Dickinson Texas. It was during hurricane Harvey. He recieved a phone call in the evening from a friend who had a problem. The problem was a serious problem and the friend had no way out. the rain was coming down so hard that the flood waters began to rise but his friend was trapped on the second floor of the apartment complex.

This young lad was not rich with material wealth was not born with a silver spoon. Virgil did not have a boat nor did Virgil have a conoe. When Virgil looked around all he had was an old blow up mattress. But Virgil loved his friend enough that he grabbed that old blow up mattress and laid it down in the dangerous flooded water. Virgil did not have a paddle but Virgil had hands. Virgil did not have a motor but he had feet. It was nothing but the love for a friend who was in trouble that caused Virgil to risk his life in the dangerous rising waters. The story goes on to show that Virgil not only saved his friend but saved 16 other folk on that same blow up mattress until it deflated.

Look at what God can do with just a little bit. I take my hat of to Virgil Smith. The town of Dickinson praised this young lad with a much deserved praise of bravery and courage.

I’m not a story teller but I can only think of one story that will top that story. Its the story of a God who recieved a phone call from earth that his friends were in trouble with sin. God could have move mountains to so that he would not have to leave his throne but he loved his friends enough to grab an old beat up human body and step out into the disparity of hopeless on a hill called Calvary.

Virgil used his hand to pull him through the water but Jesus used his hands to be nailed to an old rugged cross. Virgil used his feet to help him balance in the water. But Jesus used his feet to be rivitted to an old rugged cross. Virgil saved 17 lives. But my Jesus gave his life that the world through him might be saved.

He was placed in a borrowed tomb all night Friday night and all night Saturday night but loved touched him early one Sunday morning and he got up with all power in his hands.

Now if they can praise Virgil Smith for saving 17 lives surely we can give God praise for saving the whole world.

God wants us to trust him with our little bit.

God wants us to trust him with our little bit

Sit

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