Power on Display

Mark Hoover

The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Jesus Christ, the true Bread, is that to the soul which bread is to the body, nourishing and supporting the spiritual life. Our bodies could live better without food than our souls without Christ. Those who have received this Bread are to be the distributors of it to other hungry souls.

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INTRODUCTION:

reminiscent of Moses

Jesus crosses a sea (v. 1), he is followed by a multitude that has witnessed signs performed by him (v. 2), goes up a mountain (v. 3), and then feeds the multitude with miraculous bread (v. 11).

TIME AND HISTORICAL RELEVANCE

The Message of John 9. The Fourth Sign—Feeding the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

The reference to the Passover in verse 4 gives an indicator of duration. A year has passed since the cleansing of the temple (2:13f.). During this time Jesus has ministered largely in and around Galilee

Herod Antipas founded a city on the west shore and called it Tiberias, after the Roman emperor Tiberius Cesar. Gradually the name Tiberias was transferred to the Sea of Galilee.

The feeding of the 5,000 is the only sign, other than the cross and resurrection, to appear in all four gospels, indicating it’s importance in the minds of the early Christians witness.

SITUATION

A great crowd of people had begun following Jesus, not so much because they wanted to obey him, but, like those described in 2:23-25, because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.

The Galileans were a distinct type of peasant people living close to the soil and laboring hard for a wage.

The primary issues for them were the down-to-earth matters of food and the means of making a living. (sound familiar to most people in our culture today?)

The disciples had just returned from a highly successful preaching tour and are also in need of rest. Jesus takes them to the hills to the east of the sea of Galilee, the area known today as the Golan Heights.

The crowd got wind of the whereabouts of Jesus and like the a magnet went to where he was sitting among his disciples.

The fact that it was passover is highly significant in being able to interpret chapter 16. (from the miracle to the discourse, from Jesus to Moses, and above all from bread to flesh). NOTE: The Jewish passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt. The celebration was the slaughter of a lamb in each household which then was eaten. In this Gospel Jesus is the Lamb of God.

THE PROBLEM and THE SOLUTION

The passing of time raises the question of food and provides Jesus with an opportunity to test the disciples.

The primary issues for them were the down-to-earth matters of food and the means of making a living. (sound familiar to most people in our culture today?)

Jesus still surveys the needy situation with compassion.

Andrew offers up a boys lunchable which as he points out is no more than crumbs compared to the vast number of people. (only John refers to them as barely loaves which would have been the inexpensive bread for the poorer classes, 5,000 males not to include women and children which would have probably well exceeded 20,000 people.)

Jesus very nonchalantly begins to seat the enormous crowd in preparation for the meal.

Jesus gave thanks, took the bread, broke the bread, and distributed the bread. (If Jesus used the common form of Jewish thanksgiving, he blessed God, he thanked God, he does not bless the food. The verb rendered for thanks is eucharistesas, or the term eucharist which many Christians refer to as the Lords Supper.)

All are satisfied; all had enough to eat. (this is the abundant provision of the Lord who declares, ‘My people will be filled with my bounty’ ()

BIG IDEA: Our bodies could live better without food than our Souls without the Power of Christ.

1st sign Tests Cautious Conditional Faith

The Skeptical Faith of the World

1. Jesus Power is always bigger than your FAITH.

Notice that Jesus is not rattled at all by the situation that is going on around him. when we wrestle with our own doubts and fears we should remind ourselves of this one truth:

ILLUSTRATION: 20 Years 700 victims of abuse by their Pastors. No wonder our view of authority in our lives have been Jaded. We are skeptical and weary at best.

Where Faith Begins

George Muller. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 4.

Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends.

Its not the strength of our faith that matters it’s the person.

(Remember at the beginning of John when Jesus called Nathanael who was so amazed that Jesus know who he was, and Jesus said if that impresses you, you haven’t seen anything yet.)

When we give it all to Jesus he will do the rest.

(Begin with what you have but be sure to give it all to Him.)

ILLUSTRATION: People are building bunkers in New Zeland to ride out the apocalypse. We live in one of the most fearful and anxiety ridden generations.

People are building bunkers in New Zeland to ride out the apocalypse. We live in one of the most fearful and anxiety ridden generations.

PESSIMISM MUST NEVER BE OUR DEFAULT POSITION

Many people today are looking for a healer and provider, or someone to take all of their problems away. Very few are looking for a Savior and Lord. Why?

ILLUSTRATION:

Our Lord was never impressed with the great crowds. He knows that their motives were not pure and that most of them followed Him in order to watch His miracles of healing. People today are happy with the same diet, give them food and entertainment and they are happy. Rome set aside 93 days each year for public games at the government expense.

The filling of what Jesus has to offer always satisfies. Just l like the Samaritan woman who came to the well to draw water to meet a physical need she received a much greater filling that she could have even imagined.

Jesus is never surprised at our lack of faith

Jesus already knew what He would do. We are the only ones who are surprised when we fail to have enough faith.

Seeing and Saw - Considering whether something you saw or perceived really happened.

Jesus does nothing by chance or accident. Just like Jesus knew that Peter would deny him, he knew that Judas would sell him out. He knew that the disciples would face persecution and eventually be martyred for their faith, he knew Zacheus was going to be in the tree asking Jesus to come visit his house.

THE WORLD MAKES A PUNY GOD

2.

Jesus said look at me.... () Come to me () Jesus promises to work when our faith is as small as a mustard seed ()

When we look to this world as our God for the filling it offers we have a puny God that is devoid of any real power in our lives.

Even our faith itself is a gift of God, as Paul says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (). Our entire life of trusting Christ is itself by Christ, through Christ, and for Christ ().

In The Triumph of Faith in a Believer’s Life, the great 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon said:

Our life is found in “looking unto Jesus” (), not in looking to our own faith. By faith all things become possible to us, yet the power is not in the faith but in the God in whom faith relies. [emphasis added]

English Standard Version (ESV)

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

THE PASSOVER IMPLICATIONS: There was a sense of national pride going on at this time. (illustration Texas and it’s Proud tradition)

WHAT IS THIS MIRACLE A SIGN OF?

A sign that the new age has begun in which God will provide for His people. (The bread of Life, the passover Lamb is now present, the bread of heaven has come down to earth.)

Jesus presents himself as the bread of life, the one who satisfies the hunger of the human heart.

A demonstration of his prodigal provision towards those who put their trust in him. (Faith always precedes our belief)

The Message of John 9. The Fourth Sign—Feeding the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

Sadly, our response to the Lord’s testing is too often the same as Philip’s. We measure the need, quantify our inadequate resources, and resign in hopelessness.

The Message of . The Fourth Sign—Feeding the Five Thousand (6:1–15)

Sadly, our response to the Lord’s testing is too often the same as Philip’s. We measure the need, quantify our inadequate resources, and resign in hopelessness.

PESSIMISM MUST NEVER BE OUR DEFAULT POSITION

The key beyond believing in God’s ability and will lies in the wholeheartedness of our surrender to him.

FAITH ISN’T JUST AN ATTITUDE IT HAS TO BE APPLIED

When we think like a pauper we do not grow to be arrogant as Christians.

We should speak like a child of the King who has experienced His filling. (Jesus tells us to come to him with the faith of a child)

We should serve like a servant of the king who has embraced the riches of His filling. (a true serves with a grateful heart because of the filling they have received)

ILLUSTRATION

NEWS WEEK NOV 2017

Is it intuition that causes people to believe in gods? Or logic?

"Religious belief is most likely rooted in culture rather than in some primitive gut intuition,"” lead author Miguel Farias said in a press release. "There has been a long debate on this matter, but our studies have challenged the theory that being a religious believer is determined by how much individuals rely on intuitive or analytical thinking."

Previous research has generally held that religious people rely more on gut instinct than factual analysis, and in the event that they do become more analytical, they become less religious. But now new research shows the biggest factor in determining a person's religiosity isn't intuition but culture. Your upbringing and social environment are probably what determined your degree of faith, not your gut; people aren’t "born believers," meaning they aren't religious because of certain characteristics in their personalities.

A study detailing the research was published Wednesday in the journal Scientific Reports.

The researchers studied individuals along Northern Spain’s Camino de Santiago de Compostela, one of the world’s largest pilgrimage routes. They asked the pilgrims various questions to determine how strongly they believed in their faith and then had them participate in a probability test that determined whether they made decisions based more on intuition or logic.

Contrary to most contemporary research, the team concluded that the pilgrims showed no link between faith and intuition. The same results bore out even when the team increased the tests to intuition with math puzzles and used (painless) electrical currents to stimulate their analytical processes.Contrary to most contemporary research, the team concluded that the pilgrims showed no link between faith and intuition. The same results bore out even when the team increased the tests to intuition with math puzzles and used (painless) electrical currents to stimulate their analytical processes.

That third method had previously been used to show the areas of the brain that are engaged in atheists when they’re confronted with an argument for supernatural faith. The team says the results indicate that assumptions about religious people being intuitive people are premature. Rather, faith is informed by a “nurture-based process,” which includes things like your education and the way you were raised.

"We don't think people are 'born believers' in the same way we inevitably learn a language at an early age," Farias said in the press release. "The available sociological and historical data show that what we believe in is mainly based on social and educational factors, and not on cognitive styles, such as intuitive/analytical thinking."

APPLICATION: If this is true then what you believe or put your faith and trust in has to come from outside yourself. Outside of your own intuition and gut feeling. Something has to shape our faith and trust.

2nd Sign keeps our life in balance

2. Jesus power is always bigger than your STORM.

NOTE: To the first century people the sea was not a place of comfort.

The Lord has given a balance to our lives; otherwise we will become proud and then fall. The disciples had experienced great joy in being a part of a thrilling miracle. Now they had to face a storm and learn to trust the Lord even more.

Sometimes we get caught in the storm because we have disobeyed the Lord. (Jonah) Sometimes the storm comes because we have obeyed the Lord. He then uses the storm to strengthen us.

The Word of God, first expressed at the creation, is active and real in the world and being experienced by those who put their trust in him.

Those who have only partially understood who Jesus is and what he represents are not included in this epiphany of Jesus to his disciples. They are left on the other side of the lake seeking the real Jesus. So far they have misunderstood his mission. This is the reason why they are left behind

The people at the feeding miracle have not yet left the site where the miracle has taken place. They have not moved on from the merely material interpretation of the miracle. For them it is an occasion for free food and an opportunity to enlist this new prophet to lead them out of slavery as Moses did.

Jesus knew that they were in danger and that the crowd was now motivated to make Him King. (Of course some of the disciples would have rejoiced at the opportunity to become famous and powerful! Judas would have become treasurer.)

Did Jesus know the storm was coming? Of Course.

Jesus comes in the storm to deliver us from ourselves

Many times greater danger lies ahead, but there was another reason for the storm. The Lord has to balance our lives. He has to deliver us from our own egos and self pride.

Sometimes storms come our way because of disobedience like Jonah. But other times storms come our way even when we are being obedient. We can be sure that our Lord will pray for us, come to us, and deliver us.

ANXIETY ILLUSTRATION: According to the New York Times, Americans are among the most anxious people on earth. One study found that Americans were significantly more anxious than residents of nations like Nigeria, Lebanon, and Ukraine. We spend billions of dollars every year on antianxiety ...

Amazon keeps track of your highlights. When e-book owners mark sentences, the online retailer knows and notes it. Recently Amazon released a list of the most popular passages in some of its bestselling books, such as The Hunger Games, the Harry Potter series, and Pride and Prejudice. Also released, the most highlighted passage in the Holy Bible. I expected America's favorite biblical portion to be , , or the Lord's Prayer in . But, no, it was a less prominent text, but one that's striking a deep cord in today's worried world. It was :

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

PICTURE OF CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

Christ is in heaven interceding for His church, but we are in the middle of the storms of life, trying to reach the shore, One day, He will come for us and we will reach the shore safely, the storms have all past.

Note: remember that Jesus prayed to the father and did not ask the father to take us out of the world that we should remain in the storms of life.

Jesus comes in the storm to remind us that we are never alone.

So for some reason the disciples did not wait for Jesus they got in a boat and set sale for Capernaum.

So Jesus comes to them. They have never been out of his sight, even if he may have been out of theirs. His commitment is unconditional; the church, whatever its limitations, will never be abandoned.

ANXIETY IN EVANGELISM: Christianity today article massive percentage of millennials believe sharing the gospel with people of other faiths in order that they might come to know Jesus is ethically wrong. And then in the same survey 94% of them said life in Jesus Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to them. (you don’t do that about anything else)

WE MUST NOT BURY OUR DOUBTS AND ANXIETY

I truly believe that Satan’s greatest play ground today is in our anxiety and doubts. Remember Jesus is not surprised by our anxiety and lack of faith. Jesus meets the disciples in the middle of their anxiety.

English Standard Version (ESV)

8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

The Message of John 10. The Fifth Sign—Walking on the Water (6:16–24)

There are occasions when Jesus’ coming seems only to intensify our troubles. That was to be Peter’s experience later as Jesus faced him, painfully, with his failure (21:15ff.). It was Paul’s experience when he responded to the call of Christ to go to Macedonia and found himself a bloodied victim in a Roman prison (Acts 16:9 with 24). Christ’s coming can divide as well as unite (Mt. 10:34–39); it can bring rejection rather than acceptance (15:18–21).

The Message of . The Fifth Sign—Walking on the Water (6:16–24)

There are occasions when Jesus’ coming seems only to intensify our troubles. That was to be Peter’s experience later as Jesus faced him, painfully, with his failure (21:15ff.). It was Paul’s experience when he responded to the call of Christ to go to Macedonia and found himself a bloodied victim in a Roman prison ( with 24). Christ’s coming can divide as well as unite (); it can bring rejection rather than acceptance (15:18–21).

We are not promised a life of ease but a life of presence........

THE BREAD OF THE PRESENCE

In the temple the bread was placed in two piles of 6 on a table of pure gold as an offering in the presence of God. The Old Testament showbread placed on the table in the tabernacle provides a wonderful picture of Jesus, the Bread of Life. Jesus is holy before God, He provides true sustenance, and He is always present. “Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry’” ().

On December 26, 2004, the third-largest earthquake ever recorded by seismograph occurred deep beneath the Indian Ocean. It registered 9.1-magnitude on the Richter scale, and the shock waves produced tsunami waves more than one hundred feet in height, traveling five hundred miles per hour and reaching a radius of three thousand miles. This deadliest tsunami in history claimed 227,898 lives, but one people group living right in its path miraculously survived without a single casualty.

The Moken are an Austronesian ethnic group that live on the open seas from birth to death. Their handcrafted wooden boats, called kabang, function as houseboats for these sea gypsies. Moken children learn to swim before they learn to walk. They can see twice as clearly underwater as landlubbers. And if there were an underwater breath-holding contest, it would be no contest. But it wasn't any of these skills that saved them from the tsunami. What saved them was their intimacy with the ocean. The Moken know its moods and messages better than any oceanographer, reading ocean waves the way we read street signs.

On the day of the earthquake, an amateur photographer from Bangkok was taking pictures of the Moken when she became concerned by what she saw. As the sea started to recede, many of the Moken were crying. They knew what was about to happen. They recognized that the birds had stopped chirping, the cicadas had gone silent, the elephants were headed toward higher ground, and the dolphins were swimming farther out to sea.

Fishermen in the same vicinity as the Moken were blindsided by the tsunami and had no survivors. "They were collecting squid," said one Moken survivor. "They don't know how to look." The waves and birds and cicadas and elephants and dolphins were speaking to those Burmese fishermen, but sadly they didn't know how to listen.

A local anthropologist who speaks Moken said, "The water receded very fast and one wave, one small wave, came so they recognized that this is not ordinary."

APPLICATION:

How do we recognize the presence of God in the middle of our storm? The Moken people saw and heard the signs of what was about to happen. The reality for you and me is that when Jesus comes to us in the middle of the storm we may be crushed, and pressed down but never overtaken and defeated by the storm. When Jesus said “It is I” do not be afraid the disciples turned from fear and dismay to joy and gladness. The “I am” is the most self identifying affirmation produced in the gospels. From the Israelites deliverance from Egypt walking through the red sea, to the manna of provision that came from heaven. Christ’s presence brings hope and power to the church and individual lives.

CLOSING

Science Daily reported on the ability of certain birds to sense storms coming and to protect themselves:

In East Tennessee there's a bird known as the Golden Winged Warbler. These birds started doing something unusual after giving birth to their chicks—they started fleeing their nests. The discovery was made by accident while researchers were testing whether the warblers, which weigh "less than two nickels," could carry geolocators on their backs. It turns out they can, and much more. With a big storm brewing, the birds took off from their breeding ground in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee, where they had only just arrived, for an unplanned migratory event. All told, the warblers travelled 900 miles in five days to avoid the tornado-producing storms. Golden-winged warblers apparently knew in advance that a storm was coming, according to a report in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 18. The birds left the scene well before devastating supercell storms blew in.

Scientists believe that there's some kind of infrasound frequency that alerts them that the storms are coming. They had something that we don't have many times—a warning. One of the researchers commented that the birds' "behavior presumably costs the birds some serious energy and time they should be spending on reproducing."

APPLICATION