10,000 Pieces of Bread Pastor Rich Laskowski
In this message the word of God teaches us that God is desiring those who would refuse to walk in a passive faith. He wants us to walk in an aggressive faith that reaches out and draws upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Here we will focus upon Jesus and His multiplying the bread and fish and the statement He made to His disciples as they said that the people must be sent away to find some food for supper. He said to them, "You give them something to eat. God want His power and provision to flow through His followers to meet the needs of the people around them. May we let God flow through us to ministry to those around us.
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10,0000 Pieces of Bread
Jesus had just heard that John the Baptist had been executed.
Mt 14:13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
I. The disciples wanted to send the people away to get supper, but Jesus wanted them to learn something.
A. Jesus makes this strange statement:
16…"They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."
B. Their answer indicates that they were only seeing with their physical eyes:
"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,"
C. Jesus wanted them to see two things:
1. There is no lack of resources with God.
2. That if they are in Christ the power and provision of God can flow through them to meet needs.
THIS TRUTH HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY FALSE TEACHERS
- Turned into get rich quick theology
- Flesh oriented prosperity
- The world is sick of that kind of Christianity.
BUT IT IS ALSO SICK OF A CHRISIANITY THAT PROMOTES A POWERLESS GOD.
- Let me tell you why God doesn't do miracle anymore.
- The demonic, we'll let psychiatrist and doctors take care of that.
- Poverty is very spiritual - we are blessed to be so poor.
D. The Big Question: COULD THE DISCIPLES HAVE MULTIPLIED THE BREAD LIKE JESUS DID?
1. Did Peter walk on water?
2. Both seem impossible by natural standards
- Jesus did say you feed them
- Look at what He did to teach them:
Later that night looking at their basket, they had to think. Did He mean that I could do this?
Jesus was enlarging their thinking for the future. NEW WINES SKINS - stretching…
REMEMBER: Jesus said do it.
- Don't have a Super Bowl Party go down to Taco Bell buy one Taco off the dollar menu take it home and tell everyone the pastor said…..
BUT: When you hear Jesus say go do….. whatever - GO DO IT!
II. Again, Jesus was teaching them two things
1. There is no lack of resources with God.
2. That if they are in Christ the power and provision of God can flow through them to meet needs.
A. #1: Every Christians can agree on: No lack of resources with God
Jehovah my provider - all the cattle on a thousand hills ……
No recession in heaven!
B. #2: That if you are in Christ the power and provision of God can flow through you to meet needs.
This one we have trouble with
- We feel more comfortable saying God please do this and I'll just watch.
Joh 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
- Things that will glorify the father
- Things in the name of Jesus, or in other words implied here is things that Jesus would do.
III. God's Design is That He would flow in Us and Out of Us to the world.
- We are His body
- Go into all the world and preach(Be His mouth bring His good news)
- Cast out demons (We are to bring His presence extend the kingdom)
- Lay hands on the sick (As His hands bring life)
- All Spiritual gifts are an outflow of the life of God through the Holy Spirit.
Mt 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV)
Mr 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;(In the course of serving God we have protection - this is not a ritual to be preformed) they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
A. He does this through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
1. Our open heart - Saved - filled - and yielded for God to move through.
B. Jesus is our great example:
- He emptied Himself and lived like us
- He demonstrated how to do it
Lu 3:16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Outside to inside
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Lu 3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
Jesus shows us how to start
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Lu 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
Shows us how to surrender to the Holy Spirit, and say no to the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Lu 4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
Surrender results in not just being filled, but empowered
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Lu 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
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In Mt 12 the Pharisees have been accusing Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebub.
Jesus answers by telling them by what power He was driving demons out.
Mt 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
The Holy Spirit bring the reality of Christ to live in our hearts and desires to pour forth into the world
Some time later Peter and John would remember that lesson of multiplying the bread.
They had learned to let Christ through the Holy Spirit minister through them in amazing ways.
Ac 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer-- at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
Ac 3:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
- They knew that this power did not originate with them.
- But they knew that the God of the universe lived within them and the He would flow through them
Conclusion:
Why is this an important truth?
For those who are receiving ministry:
- You must draw upon the Holy Spirit in the teaching by faith.
- When people pray for you - Don't be passive reach out in your spirit
- You must draw upon God by faith
God is pleased with aggressive faith!
He does not want us to have timid faith!
Tear the roof off kind of faith: Mark 2:4
God is not looking for passive Christians
He is looking for those who will hold on by faith and not let go
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.