The Fourth Sign Wonder

Laurel Bible Church

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Chapter 6, the fourth sign wonder. The eyewitness account of this miracle serves as a demonstration in the continuing historical narrative, the eyewitness account of the earthly ministry of Jesus.

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The sign relays the truth of the creative power of Jesus and is recounted by the apostle to demonstrate that Jesus is the

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Son of God and the Messiah. Interestingly, the fourth sign wonder is the only miracle recorded in all four of the gospel accounts.

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We know in the big picture context, the apostle John wrote his account of events to really kind of augment the other three gospels in providing some additional information unique to his account.

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The fourth sign wonder showed the creative power of Jesus, maybe more than any other miracle.

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Similar in the spiritual underpinning of the first sign wonder of Jesus turning water into wine, it not only shows the creative power of Jesus, but it pulls the reader back to the original purpose of John's writing so that you can believe that Jesus is the

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Messiah and the Son of God and that by believing, you may have life. And so the purpose is very important for us.

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Of course, in the immediate context of chapter six, the fourth sign wonder sets the scene for Jesus' dialogue about being the bread of life.

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He says, I am the bread of life four times in this chapter. Look at verse 35,

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Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger and he who believes in me will never thirst.

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Again, verse 41, therefore, the Jews were grumbling about him because he said,

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I am the bread that came down from heaven. Verse 48, I am the bread of life.

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And verse 51, I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

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And also the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. In the original

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Greek text of the gospel of John, there are actually 23 instances of I am statements by Jesus.

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There are, however, seven times in which Jesus joins the I am statement to a meaningful metaphor that describes really his character, that describes

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God's character, God the Son's character in his saving actions, in his saving relationship towards the unbelieving world.

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Chapter six of John marks the first of these more emphatic statements,

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I am the bread of life. Chapter six also recounts two sign wonders, feeding a multitude and walking on water.

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Imagine a little boy on his way to hear Jesus speak. His mother packed him a simple lunch, a few loaves of bread, a couple of fish.

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It was nothing fancy, just enough to satisfy his hunger for the day. As he walks with the crowd, he probably never imagined that his small lunch would be part of a miracle that would be talked about for generations.

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Actually, we know it will be talked about for eternity. As the day goes on, the crowd grows hungry.

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There are thousands of people and the disciples are worried. They approach Jesus with concern, pointing out that there isn't nearly enough food to feed everyone.

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All they have is this boy's small lunch, five loaves of bread, and two fish.

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It's a meager amount, hardly enough for a single family, let alone a crowd of 5 ,000 men, not including women and children.

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But then something extraordinary happens. Jesus takes the loaves and fish, lifts them toward heaven, gives thanks, and begins to distribute the food.

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As the disciples hand out the bread and fish, they notice something incredible. The food doesn't run out.

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In fact, it keeps multiplying. Everyone eats their fill, and when they gather the leftovers, they collect 12 baskets full of broken pieces, far more than what they started with.

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This miracle showcases the creative power of Jesus.

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In His hands, something as small and insignificant as a few loaves and fish becomes more than enough to meet the needs of thousands.

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What seemed impossible, feeding a multitude with a boy's lunch, became a reality because of Jesus' divine ability to create, to create and to multiply.

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This story teaches us that when we place what little we have into the hands of Jesus, He can do far more, far more than what we could ever do on our own.

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Our resources, our talents, our time, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem, it can be used by Jesus to accomplish great things.

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So the next time you feel like what you have to offer isn't enough, remember the boy with his loaves and fish.

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In the hands of Jesus, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. His creative power can multiply our humble offerings into something that blesses others in ways we never imagined.

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The fourth sign wonder encourages us to trust in Jesus' ability to multiply and use what we have for His purposes.

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In verses 1 through 14, John recorded the fourth sign wonder so that you can trust the creative power of Jesus beyond your human ability.

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Three highlights of the fourth sign wonder. The first is the

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Passover. Number one, the Passover, the first four verses. Number two, the position, a new circumstance, a new position, verses 5 through 10.

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And number three, the power, the power, verses 11 through 14.

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Three highlights of the fourth sign wonder. Number one, the Passover. Look again with me at verses 1 through 4.

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After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias.

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Now a large crowd was following Him because they were seeing the signs which He was doing on those who were sick.

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Then Jesus went up on the mountain and there He was sitting down with His disciples. Now the

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Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. The Passover. It's important to remember that each time we see a feast mentioned, then a passage of time has occurred.

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Interesting note about the apostle's gospel account, he regularly tied his eyewitness accounts to the various Jewish feasts.

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In chapter 2, when Jesus cleanses the temple, John says it was near the Passover. This would be the first year.

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Actually, the reference in chapter 5 is the only instance in the gospel where John does not clearly identify the particular feast occurring.

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He just says it was a feast. There could have been another Passover not mentioned in the gospels which would have fallen between the

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Passovers of John chapter 2 and John chapter 6. In chapter 6, when

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Jesus feeds the 5 ,000, it was near the Passover. This is a new year. A new year. In chapter 7,

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Jesus teaches at the Feast of Booths. In chapter 10, before the death and resurrection, Jesus said,

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I and the Father are one during the Feast of Dedication. In chapter 11, the Jewish leaders plot to kill

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Jesus near the Passover. This is also a new year. Whatever position you take with the feast of chapter 5, the point is that there has been a large gap of time that exists between chapter 5 and chapter 6.

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If the feast in chapter 5 is the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles, then at least six months has gone by,

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October to April. If the feast of chapter 5 is Passover, then a year passed between these two chapters.

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John makes it clear here that the fourth sign wonder was near the Passover. Chapter 5 and chapter 6 are actually very close in terms of structure.

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Both chapters take place around a Jewish feast. Both chapters record a sign wonder or wonders.

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And both chapters revolve around some kind of a dialogue or discourse that Jesus makes asserting

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His deity. The difference really is location. Chapter 5 took place in the south around Judea and Jerusalem, while chapter 6 takes place in the north, around Galilee.

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Sadly, the apostle John records that the result is the same in both chapters.

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What was the result of the wonder and the dialogue? Jesus was rejected in both the northern and southern areas.

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John's gospel always revolves around belief and salvation. So as he's telling us what happened, he's also telling us how the people responded to what

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Jesus had said. He makes it a point to clearly communicate that the crowds that were following Jesus did not follow out of belief.

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No. The opposite. The crowds followed out of curiosity because of the spectacle of the miracles that Jesus was performing.

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And that is an important inclusion here in this first point. Despite their unbelief, despite their wrong motives,

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Jesus has compassion. Jesus has compassion on them. He not only has creative power, but amazing love and compassion.

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They had wrong motivations and were operating from a place of unbelief, yet Jesus healed their sick and fed them and did many more things that John chose not to record.

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And so we have a new feast, a new year, and a new sign wonder. Imagine a king who wants to communicate with his people, but he wants to communicate with his people in a special way.

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He has sent messengers before, but now he decides to come and live among his people, to show them who he really is and how much he loves them.

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The king doesn't just choose any random time to make his grand appearance.

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He chooses a specific moment that would resonate deeply with his people, a moment filled with rich tradition and meaning.

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This is how Jesus' ministry unfolded. Throughout his earthly life, Jesus performed miracles, signs, and wonders.

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But what's remarkable is how these incredible acts were often connected to significant moments on the

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Jewish calendar, particularly the Feast of Passover. The Passover was not just any feast.

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It was the most important celebration for the Jewish people, a time when they remembered how

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God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt through the blood of a lamb.

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Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to fulfill this very feast in a way that would change history forever.

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Consider how Jesus' ministry and the Passover are intertwined. At the beginning of his ministry,

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Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding in Cana, turning water into wine. Shortly after, he went to Jerusalem for the

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Passover, John chapter 2, where he cleansed the temple, signaling a new era of worship and a new era of relationship with God.

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One of Jesus' most famous miracles, the feeding of the 5 ,000, took place near the time of the

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Passover. Verse 4, now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

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This miracle wasn't just about feeding a hungry crowd. It was about showing that Jesus is the true bread of life, who would later offer his body as the ultimate sacrifice.

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Finally, the culmination of Jesus' ministry on earth happened during the

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Passover. The last supper was a Passover meal where Jesus redefined the elements, saying, "'This is my body.

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This is my blood,' Matthew 26. The Passover lamb that was sacrificed in Egypt was now being fulfilled in Jesus himself, the

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Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Through these connections, we see that Jesus' miracles weren't just random acts of power.

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They were deeply connected to God's redemptive plan, rooted in the history and traditions of Israel, and fulfilled in Jesus at the perfect time.

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The Passover wasn't just a backdrop. It was a divine appointment that Jesus kept, showing us that God's timing is perfect and his plans are always fulfilled.

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Three highlights of the fourth sign wonder, number one, the Passover. The significance of Jesus' miracles were not isolated events, but part of a grander divine plan that was intimately tied to the history and future of God's people.

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Three highlights of the fourth sign wonder, the Passover. And number two, the position, verses 5 through 10, the position.

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Therefore, Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, "'Where should we buy bread so that these people may eat?'

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And this he was saying to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

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Philip answered him, "'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them.

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For everyone to receive a little?' One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "'There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?'

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Jesus said, "'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down, in number about five thousand.'"

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We can start out the position or the new circumstance of the fourth sign wonder by thinking, why did

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Jesus ask Philip? There's a lot of disciples, like, well, why are you asking me? Why did

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Jesus ask Philip specifically about food, but why ask in the big picture if Jesus already knew what he was about to do?

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Well, this section highlights that Jesus doesn't do anything without intention and purpose.

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The disciples found themselves in the position of being of very little use to their master.

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But if any one of the disciples at this point would have had more knowledge on where to get food, it would have been

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Philip. Remember, Philip was from Bethsaida. John 1, verse 44, now

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Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. It was a town approximately ten miles from where they were now.

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So the passage tells us that Jesus was testing Philip. This wasn't a gotcha moment or a trick question, but an intentional and purposeful testing by Jesus to strengthen the faith of his disciple,

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Philip. Essentially, Jesus is asking for a human solution, but he knew there wasn't one.

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In testing Philip, Jesus is actually highlighting the creative power in the miraculous sign that he was about to perform.

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You could think from a human perspective that when Jesus asked Philip about where to buy a large amount of bread,

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Philip likely started assessing the probable cost, running the numbers, and that's what we see.

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Jesus was showing him that the financial resources are not the most important resources.

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It may feel like that, the pressures of life are real, the pressures of the world are very real, but there is a danger in taking that too far, in that believers can limit what

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God does in them by coming to an incorrect or even worldly conclusion about what is or what is not possible with God.

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Here's a spoiler alert, nothing is impossible for God. We need to remember that as we're going through the struggles of this temporal life.

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You may have some important task that you believe is not possible that God wants you to complete, but your estimate pales in comparison to God's power.

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Don't ever let your own evaluation of what cannot be done remove you from taking on the task.

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If God can do the miraculous, and He can, then trust God to provide. Trust God to provide the resources.

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God gives His power to His disciples to complete the tasks that He has called them to do.

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Philip had counted the costs and concluded incorrectly. Because along with the rest of the disciples, he had not added into the estimate the creative power of Jesus as the

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Son of God and the Messiah. As the Apostle John moves along the account, he contrasts the disciples with the young boy who had brought what he had with him.

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Andrew is making the same mistake that Philip made. Although it was true that the disciples would have had more resources than the boy, the disciples had incorrectly concluded that they didn't have enough, so they personally didn't give anything at all.

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Well, in contrast, the boy gave what he had. And what little he had made all the biggest difference because it was given in correlation with the creative power of God Himself.

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And there is an important principle here that if we offer nothing to God, He will still have everything to use.

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He doesn't need anything from us. Encouragement in the fourth sign wonders that God can take what little we have to give and turn it into something huge, something amazing and beyond our imagination.

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Like with many, if not all of His miracles, Jesus worked through people. In this case,

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Jesus took what a young child offered and used that very small thing.

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And achieved one of the most amazing miracles recorded not only in the

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Gospels, but maybe in the Bible. Another important principle for us, may we as adults never look at age as a barrier to Christ.

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Don't ever think you are too old for service or to be of service to the

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Lord. And for you younger listeners, age is no barrier to Christ.

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And so, I say to the younger listeners, don't ever let anyone tell you that you are too young to be in service to Christ.

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You're not. Imagine you're part of a community, a community project to create a beautiful mural.

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Each person contributes a small piece of art, a single brush stroke, a splash of color, maybe a tiny detail.

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On their own, these contributions might seem insignificant. But when combined, they form a stunning, cohesive masterpiece.

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This collaborative effort exemplifies how individual talents and gifts, though small alone, can come together to create something extraordinary.

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In this miracle, Jesus and his disciples faced a massive crowd hungry for teaching and healing.

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The disciples were concerned about how to feed such a large number of people. They found a young boy with five loaves of bread and two fish, a modest offering by worldly standards.

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Jesus took these small provisions, gave thanks, and began distributing them to the crowd.

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Miraculously, everyone was fed, and there were even 12 baskets of leftovers.

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This event wasn't just about satisfying physical hunger. It was a powerful demonstration of God's ability to take what little we have and multiply it to greater needs, to fill those greater needs.

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Just as the boy had a small amount of food, each of us has been given unique spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, and passions meant to serve others and glorify

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God. These gifts might seem modest or insignificant on their own, but they are valuable in God's kingdom.

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The disciples could have dismissed the boy's offering as too small, but Jesus saw its potential.

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Similarly, God encourages us to offer our gifts, no matter how limited we might feel them to be.

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It's not the size of the gift that matters, but the heart and willingness to give.

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Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and multiplied them to feed thousands.

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In the same way, God takes our individual gifts and, through His creative power, uses them in ways we could never imagine.

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Whether it's a talent for teaching, a gift of encouragement, or a knack for organization,

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God can amplify these gifts to impact lives and transform communities.

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The disciples participated in the miracle by distributing the food. In our lives, we are called to actively use our spiritual gifts in service to others.

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When we do, we become vessels, vessels through which God's creativity and love flow, making a tangible difference in the world.

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The miracle not only met the immediate need, but also left an abundance of leftovers, symbolizing

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God's generosity. When we offer our gifts to God, we often experience growth and blessings that go beyond our expectations, both personally and within our communities.

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Reflect on the gifts that God has given you. Perhaps you have a talent for listening, a passion for teaching, maybe a creative flair.

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Offer these gifts to God, trusting in His ability to multiply them. Just as the small offering to the boy, it was transformed to feed thousands, your individual gifts can be part of something much larger and more impactful when placed in God's hands.

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Share your unique gifts and find ways to use them in service to others.

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No contribution is too small. God delights in taking our humble offerings and using them to accomplish

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His purposes. By embracing and offering our individual spiritual gifts, we participate in God's creative work, contributing to the life that He desires for all of us.

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Let us trust in His ability to transform our little into much, knowing that with God, all things are possible.

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Three highlights of the fourth sign wonder. Number two, the position, the position. The feeding of the 5 ,000 reminds us of God's incredible power to take our limited resources and multiply them for His glory and for the benefit of others.

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And number three, the power, the power. Verses 11 through 14,

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Jesus then took the loaves and having given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated.

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Likewise, also of the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they were filled, He said to His disciples, gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost.

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So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

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Therefore, when people saw the sign, which He had done, they were saying, this is truly the profit of who is to come into the world.

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The significance of this amazing sign wonder should not be lost on us.

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This was not improbable. This was impossible. The number of men was 5 ,000, just the men.

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That does not include women and children. Very conservatively, you could triple or quadruple that number.

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The total crowd size was likely approximately 15 ,000, 15 ,000 to 20 ,000 people.

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The lesson in the leftovers is God gives in abundance more than we need. This powerful act of creation demonstrates the deity of Jesus.

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The deity of Jesus. Remember, John is reminding his readers over and over again, this one is the

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Son of God. He's pointing out that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, and that if you believe in Him and you believe in the

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One who sent Him, you know the Father because you know the Son, you'll have eternal life. You'll pass out of death into life.

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No, this powerful act of creation demonstrates the deity of Jesus of Nazareth.

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He did not need the loaves and fish. He could have created them out of nothing. Jesus doesn't need anything from us in order to create.

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However, Jesus takes whatever we do offer Him in resources, ability, or even time. In His creative power,

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He multiplies its effectiveness beyond our human comprehension and imagination. The first step for us is making ourselves available, making ourselves available to Him to trust in His power and not our own, not our own power.

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When you take that first step, God will show you how greatly you can be used.

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When you take that first step and making yourself available to God, He will use you to advance the work of the kingdom of the

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Son of His love. Sadly, the apostle John also recorded the crowd's reaction.

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In verse 14, the prophet referred to here is the one prophesied by Moses. This comes from a passage of Scripture in Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 18, verse 15.

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It says this, Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers, you shall listen to him.

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And so this prophet is the one that is prophesied by Moses. It is Jesus Christ.

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But we need to clarify here that when the crowd referred to the prophet by Moses, this does not imply their belief.

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The timing of the comments came right after Jesus healed them and fed them. Clearly this crowd was made up of people that were looking for a version of Messiah, not necessarily the

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Messiah promised in the Scriptures. They wanted a Messiah who met their physical needs.

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He meets all their own physical needs, but not their spiritual needs. At this time, the nation of Israel did not recognize their need for spiritual repentance.

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That time is a date on God's calendar and it will happen, but not yet.

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They did not recognize their need for the preparation of the kingdom of the Messiah. John the

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Baptist fulfilled that role as the forerunner to prepare the nation, to prepare the nation to turn back the hearts of the fathers to Yahweh.

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No, this wasn't belief. The Jewish people wanted an earthly ruler, a political

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Messiah to meet all of their earthly needs. They desired to be delivered from the oppression of the

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Roman Empire. It's an important clarification. The reaction of the crowd to Jesus was not belief.

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There's no difference in the unbelief of many today who want a version of Jesus that makes no demands on them.

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Unbelief causes a person to create a false God, a false version of Jesus that can fulfill their personal and often selfish requests.

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But that false version of Jesus doesn't have a right to call them to a life of personal holiness.

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I want all the benefits, but how dare you tell me that I have to pursue godliness?

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It's a relationship. It's not a religion. Well, sorry, I set a few people up there.

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Maybe you have that on your fridge at home. Really, it's a relationship, not a religion.

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It is true we have a relationship with Christ. Does Christ make any demands on our lives? It's not a trick question.

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John chapter 15, if you love me, you will follow my commands. Oh, wait a minute, now it's not a relationship.

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I have a responsibility to do something. That's a false dichotomy.

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Take the bumper sticker off your car, take the sticker off your fridge. No, this is

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God we're talking about. This is God, not a false, weird version that doesn't have any right to make a call in our lives for personal holiness, not a fake self -help guru

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Jesus that fulfills all the desires, but has zero power to change your life. This false man -made version has no creative power.

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He doesn't exist. It's a false version. It's a false God. But John connects

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God's creative power in augmenting individual spiritual gifts to the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000.

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This is life -changing. The true Jesus does make demands on your life, and they are wonderful, and they are for your good.

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Praise God. Praise God for every one of those commands that I'm supposed to follow. What a delight.

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There's a reason that it's called the law of liberty, because when you follow Jesus' commands, not by your own power, but enabled by His Spirit, there is a joy that is undescribable in being in obedience to the

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Master. It's for our good. It's for our good. The fourth sign wonder.

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Imagine a world -renowned orchestra preparing a grand performance. They're preparing for this grand performance.

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Each musician brings their instruments, maybe a violin here, a flute there, maybe a humble triangle in the back.

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Individually, each instrument produces a beautiful but limited sound. However, when the conductor raises his baton and brings all these instruments together, the combined harmony fills the concert hall and moves the hearts of everyone listening.

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The individual contributions, though seemingly small, become part of something magnificent under the guidance of the maestro.

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In the fourth sign wonder, we read the familiar story of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000. A large crowd had gathered to hear

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Jesus teach, and as evening approached, the disciples became concerned about feeding them.

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Rightly so. All they could find was this boy. This boy with five barley loaves, two small fish, a meager meal, even for a small family.

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But Jesus took this small offering, gave thanks, and began distributing it, and then a miracle happens.

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Miraculously, not only was everyone fed until they were full, there were 12 baskets of leftovers collected.

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That's more than they started with. So what seemed insignificant in human eyes became abundantly sufficient in the hands of Jesus.

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Often, we may feel that our individual gifts and talents are too small or insignificant to make a real difference.

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Maybe you think, I'm just good at listening, or I can only help by offering a warm meal.

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All I can do is pray. But just like the boy's simple lunch, when we offer our gifts to God, He has the power to multiply their impact beyond our imagination.

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Consider the story of Edward Kimball. Edward Kimball, a humble Sunday school teacher in the 19th century.

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He wasn't a famous evangelist or powerful preacher. He simply had a heart for teaching young kids about Jesus.

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One day, he felt compelled to visit one of his students at the shoe store where he worked. During that visit, he shared the gospel, and that young man,

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Dwight L. Moody, accepted Christ. Dwight L. Moody went on to become one of the greatest evangelists of his time, leading thousands to Christ across two continents.

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The ripple effect continued as Moody inspired others who influenced others, leading eventually to the gospel ministry of those who preached to millions worldwide.

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All this because one man offered his seemingly small gift faithfully, and God multiplied it in ways no one could have foreseen.

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Just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed thousands, God can take our small gifts and use them to accomplish his grand purposes.

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Our responsibility is not to assess the size or potential impact of our gifts, but to offer them willingly and trust

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God with the results. So let me give you just a few takeaways.

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Let me give you four takeaways. Offer what you have. Offer what you have.

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Don't hold back your talents. Don't hold back your talents and abilities because you think they're too small.

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Offer what you have. Remember, the boy offered all he had, and Jesus did the rest.

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Another one, trust in God's power. Trust in God's power.

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It's not about our capacity, but about God's ability to work through us or work in us.

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His creative power can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary.

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Trust in God's power. Look for opportunities. Look for opportunities.

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Be attentive to where your gifts can serve others. In community, our gifts complement each other and meet diverse needs.

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Very important. Look for opportunities. And finally, celebrate the multiplication.

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Celebrate. Celebrate the multiplication. When you see God multiplying your efforts, give

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Him the glory and be encouraged to continue serving faithfully. God's creative power is not limited by our limitations.

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He delights in using ordinary people with ordinary gifts to accomplish extraordinary things.

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Like the orchestra under the conductor's baton, our combined and multiplied gifts can create a symphony of God's grace that resonates, not only here in our community, but throughout the world.

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So bring your loaves and fishes, or just fish, you don't have to say fishes.

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That's important though. You bring your talents, you bring your time, you bring your passions and prayers.

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Watch how God feeds multitudes through your faithful offering. No gift is too small in the hands of God.

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Three highlights of the fourth sign, wonder number three, the next sign. The power.

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The power. The miracle encourages believers to offer their talents and abilities to God, trusting in His power to multiply their impact for His glory and the good of others.

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Have you ever felt like what you have to offer just isn't enough? Maybe it's your time, your energy, your resources, even your talents.

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You look at the demands around you, whether it's your family, your job, your church, or your community, and you think,

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I don't have enough to make a difference. I don't have enough to make a difference. The story of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000, the eyewitness account of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000 teaches us something profound about our, quote, not enough.

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The disciples were faced with an overwhelming need, thousands of hungry people, and a small boy's lunch.

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They saw the problem and immediately recognized that their resources were insufficient.

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In their hands, five loaves and two fish couldn't possibly feed such a large crowd.

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But Jesus saw things differently. He took the little that was offered and multiplied it beyond what anyone could have imagined.

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In His hands, not enough became more than enough. And the same principle applies to our lives today.

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In today's passage, John recorded the fourth sign wonder, so that you can trust in the creative power of Jesus beyond your human ability.

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Three highlights of the fourth sign wonder, number one, the Passover, verses one through four. The significance of Jesus' miracles were not isolated events, but part of a grander divine plan that was intimately tied to the history and future of God's people.

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Number two, the position, verses five through ten. The feeding of the 5 ,000 reminds us of God's incredible power to take our limited resources and multiply them for His glory and the benefit of others.

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And number three, the power, verses 11 through 14. The miracle encourages believers to offer their talents and abilities to God, trusting in His power to multiply their impact for His glory and the good of others.

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When we bring our limited resources to Jesus, whether it's our time, our abilities, or our finances,

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He has the creative power to multiply them. And we might think, I'm just one person, what can

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I really do? Or this small amount of money or time won't make a difference.

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But in Jesus' hands, even the smallest offering can be transformed into something extraordinary.

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Maybe you've been holding back because you feel inadequate or because you believe what you have just isn't worth much.

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But Jesus invites us to bring whatever we have to Him, trusting that He can use it in ways we never thought possible.

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Whether it's a kind word, a simple act of service, or a small financial gift,

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Jesus can multiply it to meet needs far beyond our expectations. Bring your not enough to Jesus and watch how

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He creatively multiplies it in His power as the Messiah and the Son of God to bless others.

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And He gets all the glory. Praise God. He's not limited by our resources.

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He's only limited by our willingness to offer through Him. He's not even limited by that.

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The fourth sign wonder encourages people to trust Jesus with whatever they have, no matter how small or insufficient it may seem, and to believe in His creative power to multiply their offerings for His purposes.

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And it connects the biblical miracle to practical steps of faith and generosity in daily life.

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So the next time you feel like you don't have enough to give or to make a difference, remember the feeding of the 5 ,000.

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Yeah, this is such a wonderful piece of Scripture. To think about the encouragement that, I mean, just the astounding miracle.

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You imagine them just collecting the 12 baskets, like where's all this coming from? Where's the kid at?

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12 baskets of leftover food? It was so far beyond what they had even expected.

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This breaks the natural creation, the natural laws of creation. And so in the presence of the

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Savior, these people are witnessing this amazing miracle. And it's not that they believed because of it, but what

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Jesus is showing His disciples, what He's teaching us, His creative power, the idea that we all go through various trials in life.

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That is true. We all go through various trials in life. We all have bills to pay. You know, we all have things that we have to accomplish.

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That mortgage or that rent bill just keeps coming every month. You know, and then you add into that the complexities of life and the temporal world that we all live in, our struggles in life.

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You know, we need to remember that Jesus isn't just some prophet.

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He's not a self -help guru. He didn't come to give you a blessed life and make everything happy.

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He's God. The creator of the universe, God, came in human flesh to deliver us from the bondage of sin and death.

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I mean, it's... The creative power of Jesus is an encouragement for every believer, for every believer.

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I mean, the idea that we don't have enough or, well, you know,

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I'm not really skilled in that, I can't do that, who am

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I to try to help or... You're a child of God.

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You're a child of God. You're filled with the Holy Spirit. The all -powerful creator of the universe is the one who calls you friend.

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You don't need to bring anything. Go to Jesus, trust in His creative power, and He will take the contributions.

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It's not just financial. No, this is time, ability, this is effort. How are you serving in the local body?

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Whatever that is, God will use it for His glory and He will take you beyond what you can even imagine is possible.

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I've seen this happen over and over again. And the things that you just...you'd

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never expect could happen, happen. You know, you pray for this amount of money and He doubles it.

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Where did that happen? Just some random thing that came into your life. You pray for this help or this...maybe

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there's a relationship issue going on, estrangement. You think, well, they're just never...it's

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going to be like that forever. No, it's not. God can change the heart of a person. Just like God can change the direction of the flow of a river,

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God can change the heart of a person. The Old Testament principle says that God can change the heart of the king like the flow of a river.

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And it's a greater to lesser argument. If God can change the heart of the king, He can change the heart of anyone.

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I just read this, I thought it was a very encouraging story. And it was about a...you

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may have seen this, it's kind of popping around online. It was a man who had lived his life as an unbeliever, practical atheist, not a believer.

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And his family had given up on him. And they show this picture, they say, never give up because God can do the impossible.

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And the picture that they show is a few people standing in a pool. They have some t -shirts on.

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You don't necessarily see that it's a baptism going on, but it is a baptism. And the person in the middle of this group of people is a 93 -year -old man.

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And they had been praying for this guy for decades. And in their...you

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know, they probably gave up at some point. And then there's the faithful saints that just keep praying and trusting in God. And so at 93 years old,

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God transforms this man's heart from unbelief into belief.

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That's the creative power of Jesus because He is the Christ. God can do amazing things.

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We ought not to try to limit what God can do by thinking about our own limitations, our own assessment, emotions or feelings or human assessment based on what we have to offer.

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And then we believe that as if God's power is somehow limited by our resources.

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And we have to remember, we have to read this fourth sign wonder and remember the creative power of Jesus Christ.

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He is God. He has the power to create life out of nothing. He didn't need the boy's bread and fish, but He used what little was there to glorify

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Himself, to reveal His deity to all that were there, to reveal

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He is the anointed one, the chosen one, the only begotten

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Son of God, the Christ, that by believing in Him, you may have life, that you would pass out of death into life.

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So praise God for this. Praise God for this. Looking forward to the rest of this chapter.

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Very similar to chapter five as we see there's a sign wonder. This one actually is a little different and there's two in chapter six.

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So right after this we see Jesus walk on the sea, but after the sign wonder, then there's a discourse that's recorded where Jesus explains who

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He is. And so this is just a beautiful chapter. What we have ahead of us next week,

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Lord willing, we'll look at the fifth sign wonder as Jesus walks on the sea and we'll spend our time listening to His words.

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I want us to just be sort of flies on the wall and listen to everything Jesus explains. Obviously, one of the highlights of the chapter is the,

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I am the bread of life. And so we're going to start these I am emphatic statements in chapter six.

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The fourth sign wonder connects the biblical miracle to practical steps of faith and generosity in daily life.

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So the next time you feel like you don't have enough, you don't have enough to give, you don't have enough to make a difference, remember the fourth sign wonder and the creative power of Jesus in feeding the 5 ,000.