In his sermon on 'Feeding The 5000,' Pastor Rick Lentz explores the significance of this miracle being the only one recorded in all four Gospels. He highlights the importance of faith and the role of the disciples and the lad in the miracle. Jesus' questioning of Philip serves as a test of faith and a demonstration of His omnipotence and foreknowledge. Despite limited resources, Jesus provides abundantly, symbolizing spiritual nourishment and His role as the Bread of Life. The sermon underscores the call to discipleship, emphasizing the willingness to offer even the smallest resources to God's service, trusting in His power to multiply them for His purposes. Pastor Rick urges the congregation to be open to being used by God, emphasizing the importance of surrender and submission to His will.

We're in the Gospel of John this morning and you heard one account that we're going to look at. I'm going to read you another account from John chapter 6. You want to open up your Bibles to John chapter 6. Our text this morning is John chapter 6 beginning at verse 1. After these things, Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

Then a multitude followed Him because they saw His signs, which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up in the mountain and there he sat with his disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, and now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and seeing the great multitude coming toward him, he said, Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

Philip answered him, 200 denario worth of bread is not enough, not sufficient for them. Every one of them, that every one of them may have a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, there's a lad here who has five barley loaves, two small fish. But where are they among so many? Jesus said, make the people sit down.

Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down and numbered about 5, 000. Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to the disciples and the disciples to those sitting down, likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, he said to his disciples, gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost. Therefore, they gather them up and fill 12 baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did said This truly is the prophet who is to come into the world Father as we look at this this morning I would pray Lord that you would allow us to hear what you have to say concerning this miracle.

But also, Lord, make application to our hearts and lives as you speak to each and every one of us this morning. Even as Nico prayed and we sang that song, Lord, that we might humbly receive your word. It's in your name we pray this morning. Amen. As we look at this account in John chapter 6, it's important, at least it was to me, maybe not to you, but it was important for me to see that This is the only miracle that Jesus performed that's recorded in all four gospels.

Some of them are recorded in three, some two, some just one, but this is recorded in all four. And that says something to me. It says something to me that, hey, there's something here that we should be looking at. And I trust that God has that for each and every one of us this morning as we look at this. We have the situation, Jesus just having healed this man in the Tupul, contention and confrontation with the church leadership now goes off to the mountains with his disciples.

Our text reads this way, and Jesus went up to the mountains and there he sat with the disciples. The same account in the Gospel of Mark reads, Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told them all the things, both what he had done and what they had taught. And he said to them, Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile, for there were many coming and going and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. So we just have the disciples coming back from a missionary journey.

They're accounting to Jesus all that transpired and transacted in their missionary journey. And we have now Jesus saying, look, we're all kind of tired. Let's go someplace quiet, where we can just sit for a little while, reflect, get kind of our batteries charged up. I mean you kind of understand what was going on here and yet That's not exactly how it happened. It says he was followed by a great multitude.

Our texts and the other texts say there were 5, 000 men. Now that's not to diminish the fact that I'm sure there were women present. And there was a lad present. But they numbered the men and there's five, that's a lot of people. I got a text this morning from Brother Jerry.

He said, although you're not gonna be preaching to 5, 000, preach to those who are there. So I am, I just want you to know that. 5, 000 isn't a huge crowd, but in those days that's a lot of people. But it tells us in our text, they were there, most of them were there because they saw the miracles, they saw the signs and the wonders. In a commentary from Matthew Henry, he writes it this way, many were drawn after him because of the miracles, but few were drawn to him to become disciples.

How true that is. We know the truth. We know the truth. Many are called, few are chosen. God has called us to be his disciples.

God has called us to be his followers. God has called us to be his people. But Jesus, seeing the multitude, as our text reads, Jesus lifted up his eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward him, he said to Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But this he said to test him to see, I'm sorry, for he himself knew what he would do. So Jesus is aware of the situation.

They've been there all day, they're tired, they're hungry, they're looking for some kind of refreshment. And he addresses Philip. Philip was from this area. I'm sure he addressed Philip because Philip, if anybody in this group of disciples knows where there's an open store, you know, the Walmart 24-hour store, we can go get bread or food. I didn't have any of that provision you know that.

But he's saying where can we buy this food? Where can we get enough food? And I'm sure he was addressing Philip also because Philip probably knew some of the 5, 000 men. I mean, he's from there. Have you ever been in the gathering of a lot of people and you look around and you say, do I know anybody?

I'm always amazed when I go to an airport. I don't know why I think I'm gonna see somebody I know because I never do. But there's that expectation. Well, I'm sure Philip had that expectation. He's probably been praying for some of these people from his hometown.

And so Jesus said, what are we gonna do? How are we gonna do this? Philip's response. Philip answered, 200 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone may have just a little. Wouldn't that be our response?

First of all, There's nothing, there's no store, there's nothing, no place we can buy this bread. Jesus knew that there was nothing available. He also knew that it was not affordable to feed 5, 000 men. 200 denarii is just a day's wages. Now I don't know what any of you make in a day, but multiply that times 200 and see if you can feed 5, 000.

You can't. So we have something going here where Jesus in His omnipotence knows, one, there's nothing available, two, it's not affordable, and yet He in our text said He knows what He's going to do, so he is setting the stage for something magnificent to happen. But it also reveals his heart. What did Jesus say to Peter three times? Do you love me?

Feed my sheep. Jesus has got a heart for his sheep. And Jesus wants to feed his sheep. First and foremost, he wants to feed them spiritually with the bread of life. He tells us a little further on in this chapter.

He said, I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

And the bread that I give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." Jesus proclaiming that he is the bread of life and that when one partakes of this person of Jesus he will have life. We're not talking about communion that we're going to celebrate later folks. I hope you understand that. We're talking about internally having this presence and person of Jesus Christ. And having Him dwell in us and be our Savior and our Lord.

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother said to him, there's a lad here who has five barley loaves, two small fish. What are they among so many? Kind of our perception, right? Here's this lad. I've got five loads, two fish, five thousand men.

Insignificant. But he was willing to give it to Andrew so that it could be available. It's the only word. We're going to look at the lad. But we used to sing, we haven't sung much, I'm sure you've heard that chorus, little is much when God is in it.

And so Jesus said, make the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down in number about 5, 000. So the stage is set. We have people there all day, they're hungry, they're thirsty, they don't have any meals, they didn't come out there thinking they're going to have a picnic. They came out there to listen and to hear the master, Jesus Christ, and perhaps see some miracles.

The other gospel accounts give an account of how Jesus ministered to the crowd, how he healed the sick, how he preached. We don't have that in the Gospel of John this morning. There's a reason why we don't have that in the Gospel of John this morning. And it's not because it didn't happen. It's because John's focus was not on that.

John's focus was, as we have learned, that John's focus was to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah, the promised one. So, here it is. In three of the four gospels that this is recorded in, when the disciples say, what shall we do? Jesus says this, you feed them. Come on people, you gotta understand.

Here's 12 followers of the Lord Jesus Christ facing 5, 000 men, and Jesus is saying to them with no provision, no cash, no stores, nothing, you feed them. People, that's faith. It's going to be an example to us of a faith walk where Jesus speaks and provides and the disciples obey. Jesus took the five loaves and When he had given thanks, he distributed them to his disciples and the disciples to those sitting down, and likewise to the fish, as much as they wanted. Now first of all, I want you to think about this.

There's five loaves, two fish. That's seven, right? In the math. He prayed, he gave thanks, and he distributed them to the disciples. There were 12 of them.

So immediately you know that something was going on. And the disciples knew something was going on because they saw the five loaves and the two fishes, And they also now were given some portion of that to distribute to these 5, 000 people. And we have, as we just stop for a minute to think about this, Jesus, true to His character, will provide the necessary resource to fulfill His commands. I want to say that again slowly because you and I have trouble believing that, receiving that, walking in that. Jesus, true to His character, will provide the necessary resource to fulfill His command.

Let's see how that works. Jesus declared earlier on in this gospel, you must be born again. John 1, verse 12, 11, 12, and 13 tells us how this transaction is going to happen. He who receives the Son, who as many as received Him, to them give you power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. So Jesus said you have to be born again.

Verse 12 of John chapter 1 says, not of the flesh nor the will of man, but of the Spirit. This is how one is born again by the Spirit of God, by receiving Jesus Christ and beginning this faith walk. Jesus declares that it's only one way that your sins are forgiven, that's by the shedding of blood. Jesus provides to shed blood. True to His character, Jesus will provide the necessary resource to fulfill his commands.

And it tells us that when he said, you feed him, he gave them the provision, having blessed it and it's multiplied before them. And they had all that they wanted. What was their response? What is that among so many? Now they have all that they wanted.

That's an abundant provision. John chapter 10 verse 10 tells us, the thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I've come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. People, this isn't prosperity. This is Jesus' provision.

Speaking to the heart of His people and His provision for life calls them to live free from sin, from shame, from guilt, from the power of canceled sin. I love that phrase in the hymn we sing, he breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free. People, it's just not that we have forgiveness. We have the power to overcome sin in our lives because of his provision for us. That's an abundant life.

And Jesus goes on and he says to this, so when they were filled, he said to the disciples, gather up the fragments that remain so that nothing is lost. Therefore they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which are left over by those who have eaten. Just kind of an aside, I'm assuming the fish is gone. It's kind of like last Sunday, the fish is gone. But there are five barley loaves, there's fragments of this bread left over, symbolizing the bread of life.

And they gathered up 12 baskets. I don't have any idea how big the baskets were. I'm sure every commentary has a volume, it doesn't make any difference, people. The reality is, what is shown to us is that there's not only an abundant provision, But in gathering up and being stewards and being of the miracle, each disciple had his own testimony of the miracle working Jesus Christ. Holding the bread of life in their hands that he distributed.

You and I have a testimony of the living Lord who's provided to us all that we need. The last text, the last verse of our text says, then those men, when they had seen the sign, said, this is truly the prophet who is coming to the world. We heard from bread this morning, Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things whatever He says. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people." They recognized Jesus as this prophesied prophet.

It's hard to say. They didn't receive Him. The multitudes didn't understand what was before them. But they had the testimony. Jesus said to his disciples, you feed him.

Jesus took the small meaningless provision, multiplied it, distributed it. And they said, Wow, we've seen a miracle. He must be the prophet, not the Lord, not the savior, not the Messiah. And John gives us this account, and I wanna rehearse this for you because this is important. John gives us this account because, and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are now written in this book.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Jesus fulfilling the prophecy for Moses, Jesus fulfilling all the prophetic promises that He would do and how He would die and when He would come and everything that the Old Testament said about Him, He fulfills. Why? So that you, me, all of us could have life. That we could believe.

Jesus knowing our needs, all have sinned that come short of the glory of God. And the wages of That sin is death. But Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross shed His blood for my sin and your sin. For my unbelief and your unbelief. For my unfaithfulness, your unfaithfulness.

And in that shedding of blood, he's just asking us to come to him. He says, if you confess your sins, he will forgive. Just ask him to forgive us of all of our sins by his shed blood. Invite him into a blood-cleansed heart to rule as Lord and Savior. Brother Mert used to preach from the same very pulpit and he would say, people, We're not talking about fire insurance.

We're not talking about just getting out of hell. We're talking about surrender and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and being available. And as we have this miracle before us, and as we ponder all that it means, I want to go back to verse 8 and 9. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, There's a lad here who has five loaves, barley loaves, two small fish. What are they among so many?

A lad. Probably, you know, probably not numbered with the five thousand men. It calls him a lad. That to me means that he's younger. Excuse me.

That he's younger probably just hardly noticeable in this group of 5, 000. Plus, As we would evaluate and as the world would evaluate, one, he's just a lad. And two, he only has five barley loaves and two fish. And I would suggest to you this morning, and I know this is kind of dangerous ground to get on when one is preaching the Word, but I would suggest to you, He didn't come to this gathering and say, I want to be used of God today. God can use me, I know He can.

I'm bringing all these stuff. No, people, He came seeking the Lord. And we know from Matthew chapter 6, that's our call to seek the Lord. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. One thing of I desire to the Lord.

I mean, the scripture is full of these things that tell us where our priorities should be. And even as disciples, what's this little provision for so many, even if they just have a little? I want you to stop and think for a minute how you evaluate, one, yourself in the eyes of the Lord, and then, two, your attitude when God says, I'd like your five loaves and two fish. I'm sure if you're like me, not even in a crowd of 5, 000, many would say I'm really of no value. God can't use me.

I don't have a lot of talents. I can't play the piano like Beck. I can't play the violin like Sarah. I can't sing like Jessica. I play the guitar like Nega.

How is God going to... I think I got them all covered, right? You get in trouble when you leave people out, and say, I'm telling you that, you do. But I think this is real for us, because we do not see ourselves as God sees us. We don't see ourselves as a provision.

We don't see ourselves having something that God, when He lifts it up and we surrender it, can use miraculously to intervene. I'm just a lad. I don't have much to give in this space of great need. I don't have to address the great need. I don't have to tell you what's going on outside these walls for you and I to recognize there's a need.

But I want you to just ask yourself this morning, as I've had to ask myself every morning, God, how can I be used? Not to boast up, not to be proud, not to present myself, ah, today's the day. No. To humbly come before the Lord and say, God, I'm your servant, surrendering. You see, our thoughts are not His thoughts, nor are our ways His ways.

Isaiah 55 tells us that. And Jesus is telling His disciples, and you and I are called to be His disciples, He's telling us this morning, I can use that land. And I can use his provision to feed, to be part of a miracle, to solve the greatest need in mankind. God can use you. God can use me.

Presenting the gospel in the grocery store, witnessing to somebody, your family, your relatives. You know, feeding 5, 000 people with five loaves and two fishes is a miracle, folks. Getting saved is a greater miracle. And God is calling us, as the Voice of Faith Bible church, that's our name, to be the provision. And he's asking us, are you available?

If you read Romans chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, I humbly beseech you, brethren, to present yourselves living. What does that mean? To be a living sacrifice presented to God. It means what? I'll be this lad today.

I'll give myself to you, Lord, to be used however you want. I'd rather be a doorkeeper, a doormat in the house of the Lord than to be amongst the wicked, the psalmistels. And then he wants to take what you and I have and not evaluate our resources or our talents to compare them with somebody else. But to say, Lord, what I have is yours. We've sung this beautiful hymn many times about, take my life and let it be.

Take my will. Take my words. Take my resources. Lord, this is the lad's sacrificial gift to the Lord. We've read about the widow's might.

We've looked at all of this. People, we have to begin to see ourselves here and used of God, available, a living sacrifice, letting the Lord determine how he wants to use it, letting the Lord determine the results, but obeying and surrendering. I love our old hymns that we sing. One of them I really love is trust and obey, for there's no other way. Will we trust and obey?

The lad didn't have any concept that his lunch would provide a meal for 5, 000 with leftovers. The lad had no agenda coming to this gathering. He was just seeking the Lord. But it's like with childlike faith, he obeyed their request and he came. God tells us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart.

Lean not to your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge him. He'll direct your paths. People, will we trust him this morning? Will we be the lad? Surrendering not only ourselves, but our provision, our resources to the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the challenge. Father, I pray that as we just look at this account, we would not just look at the miracle, but we would see how do we fit in something like this. Perhaps some of us have never been in a group of 5, 000. Perhaps we've been in groups of more. But I'm willing, Lord, to say this morning, Even if I was there, that would not have been my heart to say, Lord, I'm here helping you use me.

Just like the lad. But he's looking for lads. He's looking for the least of these. He's looking for each and every one of us to find and fulfill those good works preordained for us to walk in. He's asking us this morning, will we surrender to His call in Lordship?

Jesus, by your grace, I would pray that each and every one of us would answer, here am I. Send me. Amen.