Our purpose and design is to glorify God.
That which Glorifies God is what Magnifies Jesus and dignifies humans.
All this is done through the power of the Holy Spirit. Resulting in Lives Changed By Christ.
Jesus calls us to follow Him.
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"When Jesus ... saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them ... so he began teaching them. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came and said, 'This is a remote place. Send the people away so they can go and buy something to eat.' But Jesus answered, 'You give them something to eat!' They said, 'That would take eight months of a man's wages!'" Mark 6:34-37 (NIV)
ASSESS WHAT I HAVE TO WORK WITH
"'How many loaves do you have?' Jesus asked. 'Go and see.' When they found out, they said, 'Five small loaves of bread and two fish.'" Mark 6:38 (NIV)
"Jesus asked this only to test them, for he already had in mind what he was going to do." John 6:6 (NIV)
GIVE GOD WHATEVER I HAVE
"Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish ... He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people..." Mark 6:41 (NAS)
The boy gave what he had ... willingly, cheerfully, & immediately
EXPECT HIM TO MULTIPLY IT
"Everyone ate and had enough. Afterwards they collected 12 basket full of ... leftovers!" Mark 6:42-43 (PH)
Do you prefer to socialize at large parties, have a dinner for four, or spend a quiet evening with a friend? Why?
DIG:
Why; did the crowd follow Jesus (John 6:2)? What did they think about him?
What was the test that Jesus was using on Philip (John 6:5)? From their responses, what grades would you give, Philip and Andrew?
Why was there more food after the feeding than before?
How could the nearness of the Passover feast (when Jews from all over came to Jerusalem) fuel the desires of the people (John 6:14—15)? What does Jesus' response indicate about his idea of his kingship?
REFLECT:
When has God stretched your limited resources (physically or emotionally) far beyond what you could have imagined? In what way do you need to trust him to do so now?
How are you like Philip and Andrew -- failing to remember something about Jesus when you face a difficult situation?
a. The place (6:1–4): It occurs on the banks of the Galilean Sea.
b. The problem (6:5–6): Jesus asks his disciples how they propose to feed the multitudes that surround him.
c. The pessimism (6:7–9)
(1) As demonstrated by Philip (6:7): He says it would take a small fortune to feed them.
(2) As demonstrated by Andrew (6:8–9): He brings a boy with five barley loaves and two fish but doesn’t believe that’s enough for the crowd.
2. Events during this miracle (6:10–13)
a. The scarcity of food (6:10): Jesus takes the only available food—five barley loaves and two fish—gives thanks, and orders its distribution.
b. The surplus of food (6:11–13): After all have eaten their fill, there are twelve baskets of leftover food!
3. Events following this miracle (6:14–15)
a. The determination of the people (6:14): Concluding that he is the Messiah, they plan to crown him as their king!
b. The departure of the Savior (6:15): He quickly withdraws from them into the hills.
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DON'T BE AFRAID January 3 , 2019 Dr. Joe Pettigrew
“When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.” John 6:15-21
Whenever I study this text, I am struck by two things. First, I always stop at the phrase “take him by force to make him king.” While we claim that Jesus is our King, He has always refused to be our Ruler the way we might wish He would be. We might wish He would take the world by force and make everyone act with justice, generosity, and kindness. That He would stop all the abortions, senseless killings, leaving babies in trash cans, etc...
And yet even in the beginning of His ministry with His disciples, He has always resisted our efforts to make Him follow the job description of King that you or I might write.
I am also struck by the first words out of Jesus’ mouth when the disciples see him walking on the lake. “It is I, do not be afraid,” He says immediately. Those might not be the first words we would expect. Perhaps we would expect something like, “Do you not get it yet? Do you not know who I am after all this time?”
But that is not how He responds to their wondering and doubt. That is also not the way He responds to our desire for Him to control the details of our lives.
Rather, He responds with gentleness because of who He is, and because of the way He has chosen to be our King, our Savior, our God.
Thought of the Day: Instead of trying to make God be who we want Him to be, maybe we should just sit back and celebrate who He is.
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