This Is Only a Test | With Special Guest Pastor Levi Lusko

Hey there, thanks for listening to the great glory part just a ministry supported by harvest partners on Greg Laurie encouraging you if you want to find out more about harvest ministries. To learn more about how to become a harvest partner, just go to harvest.org is such an honor such a privilege to be with you. I am so excited to get to teach God's word today and spent some time with you as we link up together in the name of Jesus. That's what this is about. It is about us encountering God and that is true, right where you are because you are a brick. I am a brick altogether. We are the house of God, and it is such an honor to get to have this opportunity. I'm such a fan of Pastor Greg and Kathy, Lori, I love the way the God has worked in their lives as they have made the themselves available and open themselves up and now with the Crusades and the radio ministry and just the church is and now getting to reach out to so many people through the Internet is God's given us his ability to the World Wide Web of literally fulfilling the great commission going into all the world and preach the gospel. If you having it take a quick second and hit that share button so you can send this out with you watching the Harvest Ave., YouTube or Facebook. It's just it takes 1 ms to throw that share button to get that out to your story on Instagram, but you never know what God could do remember one euro a family got saved at our church at Easter because they found a little invitation on the bathroom floor of a stall at the mall and just to think a guy could use that a person who blessed and never knowing what God would do, or maybe they did leave their purpose in this file in the bathroom floor after all. But God can use everything, even a share, so make sure you do that so God can bless you through using you, even as we are about to open up God's word together, but as you heard my names Levi and I lead a church called fresh life. We started it 15 years ago just for the encouragement and support of Pastor Greg who all on the way has has been a champion to me in my corner encouraging me to step out in faith and preach God's word and God's using us as we've now got to grow and are reaching out into Portland Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah, and literally campuses all across Montana as well as Jackson Hole, Wyoming and our newest place that God is using us in Victor Idaho. If you're ever in the area on vacation or travel make sure you come see us at fresh life were also pleased to keep us in prayer is gearing up because word this summer going to be reaching out in a way that we never have before. Through a summer camp that were inviting youth groups all around the country to come to Montana experience at Yellowstone life were putting on what we think will feel like a passion conference. If it was planned by John.and we got Carrie Jobe and Cody Carnes and Crowder, and Phil will come in just of it that the Tim Tebo and his wife Denny are coming. It's an amazing time revival and you get information.

If you are interested in out MVM NT 2022., please do keep it in your prayers will if you have a Bible reading to be in John chapter 6 today. Thus, the six Gospels of John we recently had the chance to release my newest book and it's called the last supper on the moon in this book is all about NASA's 1969 lunar voyage Jesus Christ's bloodied death, and the fantastic quest to conquer interspace. But before we go any further into this message to check out, that the big picture and the story behind this book wanting you watch this quick little video on July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped off the lunar module onto the surface of Earth's moon for the very first time. Neil Armstrong's voice was immortalized in that moment as he uttered the words as one small few hours for this milestone will still inside the Buzz Aldrin in line and those who were listening every nation quote hours given things his own way and then you citizens of her Aldrin sleep plan is ordered small meals from within the flaming red wine mission and then John in the middle of the conversation is first, a lot of people don't realize that when Neil and Buzz landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 that before Neil's small step that was a giant leap for all mankind.

First, Buzz Aldrin took communion and he brought with them not only a little card that had a verse from Psalm eight, John 15, which you saw there on the screen, but he also brought a small piece of bread and some wine and he ate and drank in a moment of silence to celebrate the historic import of the occasion and that was before he and Neil ate their dinner, ate their meal on the moon.

So literally the first thing ever eaten on the lunar surface was the last supper, communion, or come moon EN I guess you could call it was literally the first thing in the Last Supper on the moon, which was not an end but a beginning and that's where this book begins, but it's not a book about space. It's a book about Jesus. It's a book about how lifting our eyes to the heavens. Looking at space because this naturally like David in Psalm eight to ask the question, what is man when I consider the heavens, who whom I so were using the language of outer space as a metaphor to try and understand this interspace to conquer the most difficult battle that there is the one between us and ourselves. We all can be our own enemy and I want to show in the book is only through a relationship with Jesus can the fighting stopped.

Can there be victory. Can there be peace in this book hopefully will point you to Jesus who, like the mighty Saturn five rocket that generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust and broke windows 4 miles away that only through the cross of Christ, his resurrection and ascension. The sending of his ear. Can we all tap into the lives that Jesus wants us to live not only in salvation but in sanctification and growing as Christians. As CS Lewis well put it, a lot of us are not as happy as blessed as God means for us to be and so continuing to use the same thing it took to get saved to grow in our salvation is the hope is the goal of this book and what I want to do today in our time is going to be essentially the Cosco sized sample. Of course I can't pack all of this message. That's here in this book, pointing to Jesus into our time together.

So with our moments that remain this. The Cosco sample and if you enjoy what you taste here. The chimichangas are on aisle 17. You can get the book and audiobook. There's a small group curriculum. All of that will be helpful to you.

I hope.

But in John six. What we find is something that I given the book and that is one of the seventh seven played a big part in NASA's history of course the original seven the Mercury seven with the seven first astronauts chosen. This is well known because of Tom Wolf's epic story, the right stuff was made by National Geographic and Disney plus into a television series, the right stuff about these original seven astronauts that were like larger-than-life heroes in their day like take Justin Bieber and Lebron and and Lady Gaga all that rolled up into into seven individuals. That's how America treated a lot of these astronauts every mission they went on, they were given a tickertape parade down the Broadway in New York City. People just follow their every move and articles in life magazine. It was it was seven, though, was a big number when NASA got started.

Similarly, when you read the Bible, you can't help but notice seven is all over the place when there are seven were told spirits in in Revelation Isaiah talks about the seven different ways. The Holy Spirit moves were told that there were seven letters Jesus wrote to seven churches seven times Jesus spoke as he hung on the cross, God made the world we know in six days. On the seventh day he rested, establishing a rhythm of a seven day week when you look at a rainbow. There are seven colors in the visible spectrum seven notes in the musical scale in the Western scales of sevens all over the place. Seven trumpets, seven seals and and what were to look at in John chapter 6 is one of the seven signs that John collected in his gospel to show us who Jesus is, seven miracles and a lot of them line up with the seven IM statements in this particular one is the miracle that is contained in all four of the Gospels, which is just 1 More Way that the Bible tells us this is a big deal and really important because repetition reveals importance, and if God gives a lot of time to something that shows just how important is in the miracle of the loaves and the fishes as it's been called, or the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 is alongside the resurrection. One of the only details. One of the only stories that is told four different times. Matthew tells of Mark tells it. Luke tells and then here in John chapter 6 we see the feeding of the 5000 again and I want to read to you first got this down if you take note that if you don't start taking notes today because it is so important.

You cannot live out of a revelation that you forget by writing it down by taking note of it. You're able to then re-read it down the road and remember it when you need it.

I would caution you that today the word that you might need. It might not be the one that's a felt need today. God can and does speak words to us in season.

But he also can speak to us words out of season, and maybe, just maybe, a month from now or season from now, or even a decade from now there will come a situation where you'll need this. I myself go back over notes that I took in Bible studies when I was 14, 15 years old and they blessed me today in a different way and a different level than they did 35 years ago or 25 years ago almost 40 this shoot yourself. The masts are people is not my strong suit.

I got in the ministry because I didn't want to do math.

But John six title of this message is this is only a test this is only a test is always to hear on TV. Maybe they still do it when they would have that terrible sound bird knowing what's going on. My feelings around like a Jew in aluminum foil or something and then you would hear this has been a test of the emergency broadcasting system. Had this been an actual emergency tsunami and earthquake or tornado that actual instructions would follow. But this again.

Has this been a test at the same sound we hear when those Amber alerts go off right. This is only a test and that literally is what we find in John chapter 6 in the feeding of the 5003 together. It says after these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberius than a great multitude followed him because they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased and Jesus went up on the mountain and there he sat with his disciples. Now the Passover feast of the Jews was near. Then 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, for he himself knew what he would do.

Philip answered him 200 didn't dare I worth of bread is not sufficient for them that every one of them may have a little one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother said to him, well, there is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish that he discounted the thing he had just suggested. But what are they among so many.

Then Jesus said, make the people sit down and there was much grass. Now there was much grass in the place so the men sat down in number, about 5000. And Jesus took the loaves with and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to the disciples and the disciples to those sitting down and 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 gathered them up and filled 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 is truly the prophet who is to come into the world, and father, we thank you. We thank you for your word.

We thank you for the privilege that it is to have such ease of access to your word that I hold in my hands. This Bible like that.

I have many other Bibles. Many other versions and all of us have these devices that give us unlimited and in history unprecedented access to your word God. We don't want to take that for granted. We want to tremble before your word, knowing it is precious and it is life and it is light and I pray for your spirit now to illuminate our hearts to see what the natural man can't and in his stubbornness won't that you would reveal it to us and open up our eyes to see glorious truth in your word that will impact our every day lives for the learning is truly for the living and I asked that as we spend this time considering your word that you would God draw people to yourself. You don't know you, and that if even one person on their exercise bike or taking a walk or driving and having this up on the podcast are gathered together with some friends in the living room that you would through your spirit draw people to yourself even as we consider your son Jesus and who he is and what he has done through this miracle through the story and we pray blessings on harvest.

We pray your blessings your rich blessings on Pastor Greg and Kathy on Jonathan and Britney just the entire church staff family. Everybody who works hard behind the scenes to make Harvest at Home possible and we thank you for those who have tuned in today and just even that small act of opening up their hearts, making space, we know you will draw near to us as we draw near to you. We pray this in Jesus name and everyone together, said a man now. The sign of this miracle. The feeding of the 5000 as it has been called though it's incorrect because we read it.

There were 5000 men. That's how the Jews kept track of of of numbers that we just add comp dimensions easier to count just I see the heads of households in the naked, note round that up so most commentaries put this number out upwards of 20,000 people.

If you have wives and children as there obviously were because the little boy comes up to bring this food so to think about Jesus feeding 20,000 we are meant to see this as a illustration or a demonstration of the reality that Jesus will communicate and that is the fact that he is the bread of life.

That's also in John chapter 6 I am the bread of life and and he pointed to himself as that which could meet the needs of the human heart. All of us are hungry. All of us are hungry for something we been our entire lives searching for that which can fill our bellies and Isaiah says why would you buy food that doesn't satisfy these talking about all the food of this world that we look to our careers to give us a full belly.

We look to money to give us a full belly and and there's like in the empty carbs that we eat when we should be looking to the things that satisfies a little hit of that sugar spike and a little rush of it for a moment. There is pleasure in sin. The Bible says, for a season and when we look to idols I know are going like a 2022 pow. We don't have idols anymore is not to have a little statue all yet we still dual idolatry is alive and well, it might look like the Tesla logo, it might look like the brand-new Paris keys that you bought for your next epic trip trip to Park city come next winter.

It might look like, how many followers you have a social media or how much crypto currency you have in your bed, a mask and your metal wallet but we all have things at times we look to you to give us the satisfaction the Jesus that I alone can give. I alone can give you meaning I alone can give you life after death is that I alone can forgive your sins.

Only through being lifted up on the cross, Jesus said, could we look to him like the serpent in the wilderness John chapter 3 and have our sins forgiven and have our sins paid for it is that that he points us just the ultimate meaning of the feeding of the 5000. He was pointing to himself as that which can satisfy but as we begin to work through it out of that being established as the primary teaching the supporting substantiating miracle point to him as the bread of life. There are many different things that appear that we can take note of. By way of application to our life. So first notes and there's going to be seven different things as we move through the movements of this familiar story and my prayer is that God would shine something fresh on all of us, especially if you folded up your notes to and turned off your you know Evernote when you found out preaching this text because you like I have known this and those look in Sunday school, and there is nothing new I can find in this passable, I pray you wouldn't be robbed of the freshness. God wants to speak into you because of a sense of familiarity with it. The truth is you've never experienced this text today and every new day there's something new guy wants to show such why the angels in Isaiah 6 is a flyer on the throne, say, holy, holy, holy. Every time they come around because there each time seeing something new about who God is.

God can never become old.

The gospel can never become old. If you let him show you something new.

So what is the first of the seven yes, I'm sorry gratuitous plug in the seventh as they show up to seven movements to the store.

The first is we find an unsolvable problem. Thousands of people come to Jesus and Jesus says to his disciples, give them something to eat, but he doesn't just asked the disciples that he singles out Philip Philip and he since development so they Philip where can we buy all of these people some food that they can have their hunger satisfied. Now I think the reason he asked Philip this question is because were told that Philip was from this area.

Philip was from Bethsaida which is the nearby area so I kind of imagine much like the friend that you and I all can think of who when we tell them we went to their hometown. They started out like the unofficial Chamber of Commerce like there a one-man personal yelp website just of their city. They all were Jeannie why a hearing that's not where the locals go. Let's restrict tourist go if you want the real deep dish pizza you can't go to GR Donna you got I got up loom on the bodies and and there's the Philly people who will say it's path and there will the Philly people to say no it's Gino's that has the real cheesesteak in their other Philly people who go both of those are not the real thing.

You gotta go over here by the Eagle Stadium is always that person who just is so eager to tell you all the things in since they were in the area.

I kind just imagine my creativity as I read the Bible.

Philip store like you know, Stratton's stuff. This is moment to let nobody know this is this is what Wyden and so when all these people come in there hungry and Jesus knows that they need something to eat, love the that the twinkle in his eye that makes Philip Jesus say to Philip hey Philip this is your area using a Noah, so well, where should we what grocery store. Should we go to to get all of these people, some food, and Philip. I just love it. You almost see him having a seizure. You almost to see him like the Insta cut Costco and there's that there's no way he says there's no way, not only because there's no restaurant that a cop can accommodate 20,000 people still cater the last minute could put together such an order and do such a feat, but he also knows how much money they have in the back as he had asked Judas just a couple days ago how much we got and interestingly enough, the number that you just came back we was less than the number it should have been, but that's a different summer for a different day. But he says there is no way even if we had 200 dinner, even if we had this huge sum of money in the bag that and that we could possibly do this and listen. Jesus knew that was the case because the text clearly tells us he said this to test him. Verse six look at Wilmer time it was there the first time you read.

He said this to test him. That is to say Jesus had no intention of Philip going to a grocery store.

He had no intention of having the disciples do a Safeway run. There was no point in his mind when he thought Insta car was what he was going to do because the taxes he already knew what he was going to do for you from the beginning of time. He knew how he was going to feed this multitude yet he went through the exercise of asking Philip how to do something he didn't actually want Philip to do.

Why would he do that here is why I wrote it down this way the greatest miracles in Scripture usually follow the most bewildering behavior. This is bewildering. Why would Jesus ask a question he actually doesn't want to know the answer to, because he's different than we are. The Bible says, his ways are not our ways. How does this apply to you and to me whenever we see God acting strange. We should take note that he's about to do something great whenever we go we come up against something we will have an answer for why why would you act or why would this happen this way we can truly believe that God is getting ready to do something when God told Abraham to bring his son up a mountain because he was going to have him go through the ritual of offering up took him up to God.

The Bible says in Genesis 22 God did all this to test Abraham when God acting weird doing something you don't understand or even is not like you think God should be acting.

You can say to yourself, this is only a test this is only a test. God doesn't intend to actually go through with it with Abraham but doesn't attend actually go through that to Philip. He's doing this to develop him. So when you're going through something weird something hard in God's not acting like you think you should ask you to remember he's testing you and a faith that can't be tested is a faith that can't be trusted, so give him room to be God.

Secondly, this movement of the story continues on with a heart of compassion, we see an unsolvable problem. Then a heart of compassion, the compassion is in Jesus heart where he cared for these people. The disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away. We know that from the synoptic accounts Matthew Mark and Luke.

They tell us that the people were a problem, disciples wanted to hang out with Jesus. They wanted the rest, they were stressed by the way, because John the Baptist had just died, they'd emotionally been fatigued by dealing with his funeral.

They needed a hot minute right church staff week after Easter or Christmas like all my gosh we did were run down. We need we need if we had we had a day off and that's how the disciples were sort of feeling and and Jesus cared for the people. Jesus knew they had a need and so he wanted to feed them.

He was often moved with compassion for the crowds because they were like sheep that didn't have a shepherd and so of course he did care for the food in her stomach.

But even more than that arc 634 he cared for the emptiness of their souls. So he began to teach them many things.

John doesn't highlighted as much but this meal came along with a message he gave to them a Bible study he taught them about who he was, Jesus would often use Old Testament stories as well as real-life situations.

To illustrate something about him and that's why the common people heard him gladly. He didn't come across like some elite professional clergy.

He was down to earth.

He told stories that connected with them and so he had a heart of compassion and that's why he didn't just meet their physical needs. He dealt with their spiritual need, and the church should always care about both.

Yes, we care about homeless shelters and food banks, but we also prioritize evangelism and Bible study in Christian education. Number three third movement were covering all seven there's an unlikely solution and the unlikely solution is when Philip says we don't have the money we don't have the food Jesus says what do you have and a little boy emerges is brought to Jesus by Andrew.

This is key. Every time Andrew's name comes up in the Bible.

He's bringing someone to Jesus. May God bless us all to be like Andrew and invite people to watch artists at home with us and invite people in Paris be bringing our children to Jesus bringing outsiders to Jesus bringing the secrets to Jesus and your brings a little boy to Jesus and what is he say here's a little boy who has five loaves of barley loaves the food of the poor and to sardines is the better translation is a small little fish don't think big lake trout or something was a mahi-mahi is a small little fish.

It was salted it was with the boy could roll up in a tortilla basically and bring with them in the pocket of his robe and have to munch on his mom was a real unsung hero of the story, mom or dad or whoever was to Pat.

Maybe his grandma packed in this lunch had no idea that as they did the small little thing in secret that they were gearing up to do something that would be used by the hand of God to feed 20,000 people and go down into Scripture and be encouraging people all around the world and Harvest at Home in the year 2022. So an unlikely solution is God used using something small a small act of obedience to do something great. How many loaves do you have, you see human nature makes it very easy to focus on what we don't have. I would do this but I don't have the resources I don't have the ability. I don't have the gifts but God's very has very little concern for what you don't have. He is a lot of concern know for how you use what you do have. If you are use one if you were given one talent he doesn't expect you to do. With only 10 talents was given but he does want you to multiply the one talent. If you have two he wants you to multiply few been given only five loaves and two fishes of skill and ability and gift use that to bring glory to God put what you have into God's him. If you haven't yet begun the journey of giving begin giving. Don't wait to be a millionaire to give, give, right where you are begin to support this ministry begin to support the work of God in the world as you tithe as you give those offerings, you're putting your five loaves and two fishes into God's hands. It's an unlikely solution. The better solution would be, God says you stay on the bench with your little fishy's with your little sardines and barley. You keep your little tide you keep your little gift and I'll just rain down manna from heaven because he can. But God likes to use us. God love to use his children to do great things. So the unlikely solution is God involving the foolish things of this world. The fourth movement is a grateful petition.

You'll notice in the Scripture that before the food was handed out to the people. First, Jesus blessed and broke the bread, he blessed and broke the bread and I want you to use your imagination.

I want you to see.

We should try and smell the Bible if we can. 20,000 people, 12 apostles, one Messiah, and he's holding now what he received from the little boy that little gift a little offering right that we said here's here my send me here how how much but I'm to give it to you right now is got in his hands, broken and blessed in the blessing. The Scripture tells us involved Thanksgiving and that's why you called it a grateful petition petition is a fancy word to say prayer and wanted to rhyme with the other points which survive take petition over prayer but but really he was just praying in his prayer had in the middle of it.

Gratitude that is to say, like many of us would he thank God for the food they were about to eat, and in the prayer he said to his father, thank you. Some have speculated.

He used to a well-known prayer at the time. Thank you that father you give the rain and you bless the good the grain that allows it to grow you. You made the vine, you allowed to produce grace whose common prayers that were praying we have our own versions of it. Thank you God for the food were about to eat. We pray you use it for the nourishment of our bodies.

Bless those who prepared Jesus was thanking God for this food.

Holland that he knew wasn't enough. He's holding in his hands.

What is not enough for the situation. Philip at that. So Andrew had said so, and he and his team did not have enough money to pay the bill for what it would take to actually give these people each. A bite of food and yet holding out enough, having not enough. He chooses gratitude which is God's will for you and for me. Paul said in first Thessalonians, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you would give thanks. I would give thanks that's God's will for you. Ask that question a lot was God's will for me will hear this in everything give thanks.

I love the Paul didn't say for everything give thanks because there are things we face that we should be thankful we don't need to be thankful for death to thankful for cancer thankful for abuse, those things are not to be thanked God to thank God for we can think got in everything and in this lack, and in this situation Jesus models for us. What should be our response God we don't have enough I don't understand how this is gonna work on it. I don't see any way out. And yet I choose to think that you're a provider I thank you God that you're a healer. I think about our own church. We ran out of money in a building project and it was a lot of stress and a lot of fear in her overages at how construction works and we had had margin had buffer but it even exceeded that in there was just such a sense of how is this going to work and it took faith for us to say thank you God even when we didn't know what he was going to do but to believe that he did and that we were still going to trust them if you can only follow God. When you fully understand what's going on than you actually don't need God because faith begins were our resources and and so Jesus is showing us what to do today with what you're holding. I don't know how many raise these kids, I don't know how many do the start this business start this church write this song to say God I choose to thank you anyway is an act of defiance in the middle of a storm at the grateful petition and notice he also broke the bread and I love the here we have in Jesus's hand, something that has been broken and it is something that is about to be blessed and I believe it is always so does not Jesus say Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who are persecuted.

What's the point in God's hands, blessing and brokenness always go together. So if in your heart. There is a brokenness if in your life. There's a brokenness of your heel if your feelings have been hurt. If you feel like you've been abandoned. If there's brokenness in your life and trust God that he's out to bless you because pain always leads to power if we let that pain pushes into God and not away from God will that's the fourth movement of the story.

The fifth this is a mentality of multiplication of the little detail John gives that Jesus did not hand out the food. He handed the food to his disciples and he had them handed out.

I love this because it's the same as when we find out that Paul told the Corinthians. I didn't baptize any of you whichever guy is in Christmas why because Paul was focus on raising up those who would do the baptizing. Similarly Jesus were told didn't actually baptize anybody even though he and his disciples baptize even more than John the Baptist, and I was his name. The Baptist right and and NAIA.

Jesus knew is not just about what I as a leader do is about who I give the opportunity for other people to do those things.

He could've thrown out all this bread, but he involved the disciples so leadership question.

Who are you raising up to do what God has given you the ability to do so you can multiplexer such as one person doing up announced 12 people doing it. The question I'm always asking is, who's gonna reach my grandkids who can I minister and release and give opportunity to today will be positioned to do greater things down the road. It's a mentality of multiplication five of you shall put 100 flight. Leviticus says, but 100 of you could put 10,000 to flight. It's called compound interest and you should check it out. Number six were getting very close to the end. This next movement is an all-you-can-eat celebration because once Jesus passes to the disciples, the blessed and broken bread and the fish handed to them and they start handing it out. The order is given. You can eat as much as you want. I like those words. I love that idea. My goal in any diet is figure out what are the good things that I can have no limit of my gripe is it peanuts his salary. Is it cucumbers fine, just tell me what I can have unlimited quantities of and I love that is Jesus hands this out since on limited celebration. It's an all-you-can-eat occasion, Charles Spurgeon commented on this passage when he said that this is one of the rules of Christ's feasting, as much as they wanted. Many says this according to your appetite. According to your will, according to your faith, so be it unto you. You can have as much or as little as you want of God's word. You can tune in all 52 weeks of the year for Harvest at Home you can just go to a couple of them you can just rely on a weekly sermon to bless you. Few podcasts here and there, you can open up this book every single day and begin your day with a compass to begin your day the rudder to say over your family is for me and my house we will serve the it's up to you. Some people went away.

They had a little bit. Some people went away.

They a lot how much they got out of it was up to them out to their appetite.

So how is your spiritual appetite are you memorizing God's work. How many prayers are you praying how illogical taco I've heard and get answered within the bigger problem with prayers, the prayers that were never prayed in the first place. And Jesus said, you have not because you ask not.

But asking the door will be open to you. It's an all-you-can-eat celebration. Some will get to heaven and find out they laid out would some will I know they laid up straw others will have an abundant entrance and will be rewarded in gold and silver and precious stones run. Paul said that you may win that full prize. All you can eat.

It's up to you how much you get out of this Christian life that Jesus died for you to have now.

Seventh and finally we see when the story ends and the dust settles, there is an excess of provision, the multitudes so happy and glutted and they go away and all that's left is the disciples and Jesus. He says make sure you pick up every crumb so that it would go nothing is wasted. I love this is technically miracle food prayed like it came from the silos it multiplied in in God's hands. It multiplied in God's will, so the logic could be like more if we need more but Jesus is much too efficient to ever waste a miracle. He wanted all harvested. He wants it all retain God cares very much about stewardship and so he says I want you all are not and when the story was done. There were 12 baskets of fragments stored in the Greek's coffee notice and it could be actually translated backpack of provisions. It was this straw basket that they would leave and then they would wear on the back. I love the ideas they mark down the hill to get a new bogus spoiler alert. Next comes a storm, Jesus sends them into and again when he's acting weird.

He's up to something.

But in that storm they will each have a basket pointing to his past faithfulness for them to remember in their present difficulty. The excess of provision, though speaks of very, very, very important lesson.

If you look at the whole Bible when Jesus's ministry on this day was done.

There were leftovers that he said are still going to be good tomorrow. What's the point. What use language from the book he's saying I am greater than Moses. Now think how that would sit with the Jews to the Jews.

Moses basically hung the moon. Moses could do no wrong. Do you think your greater than Moses. Do you think your greater than than him who walked with God face-to-face. The Jews would ask in Jesus saying my food that I created here that I multiplied here is still going to be good next week it will spoil. He was saying you think the biggest thing ever that happens comes later in John six was Moses giving bread from heaven, but remember Moses is manna right which was actually God's not Moses is but through Moses, it rotted if they tried to keep it and to get new everything obey, except for the Sabbath, they would turn wormy in the pots. Jesus was saying, I greater than Moses. I give you food the still going to be good tomorrow you see here. Here's the point get to hear the 10 Commandments, do good. Then it feels really good on Sunday yes were going to go live for God within you get out to the Tuesday in your life.

Dang it didn't go so well where is when you follow Jesus that he feels good on a Sunday palmitate Ernesto good on Tuesday. On Wednesday on Thursday. On Friday because the law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and seven days of the week that food still taste good, because it's not about a righteousness you earn. It's about one you received and when that's the case, and you get to walk with God every day knowing that he has already made you perfect in Jesus name, amen. I hope that encourages you as much is and encourages me before. I pray for you.

Let me just give you four different ways to live this out this week. The next time you feel like Levi I'm going through a test, God's acting weird right now.

Remember these four things and it's an acrostic TESTT stands for training if you're in training. You need an obstacle course.

Every once in a while. So if it's getting weird right now. Just remember, I'm in training the so this is only a test. The E stands for eccentric remember that God look up in the dictionary depicts exit eccentric is defined as departing from the custom customary God always departs from whatever is customary because he's not up normal person CS Lewis. It is not a tame lion, so it feels like this is eccentric. That's how God works.

At times he wants to bring a baby in the world choose the version want to kill a giant takes a little boy wants to be 20,000 people little boy again alright so that's eccentric in my book.

The S stands for sovereign since he sovereign.

He knows the end from the beginning so we can relax in the middle and then the final T track record. He's never failed so why would he start with you.

This is only a TEST test and so father, we thank you for provision yes with our daily bread that we pray for need, but much more with the eternal salvation, of which this bread is a mere symbol and I pray more than anything else that every single one of us listening and watching. If we have not would receive you as Lord and Savior so that we could stay have a right standing before you, so that when we die and everyone of us are going to die that we will know our sins are forgiven, and is not about how good we were worked were knocking a fine art life put on a scale all the good deeds in the side and the bad and the other hopefully we have more good than bad. Because of that was how it all stacked up. No one could stand before you, but with you there is forgiveness therefore you are feared. You allowed your son who never send to be made sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. And I pray right now for all those who are under the conviction of your spirit. Maybe that's what you're feeling, you would know how to describe it like that you would just say my heart fluttering a sense God I III know I'm guilty, guilty, gift to feel guilty.

That's God convicting. He only convicts to bring you to righteousness the devil condemns to lock you up in shame for God today through conviction is trying to knock on the door of your heart and the Bible says if you open the door he will come and he'll save you to be saved. Right now you're in Iowa here in Pennsylvania and Your Argentina. You're listening you really like Augustine he can save you and you speaking to you live no one's watching by accident. There is only to say a prayer is a prayer want to pray with me when she pray believing your heart is saying this out loud with your mouth so that you can hear yourself confessing the Jesus is Lord, the God raised him from the dead, and I can say on the authority of Scripture. You will be safe. This could be your new beginning. The turning point is the prodigal son or daughter come back to the father. Perhaps you grew up knowing about them to. But today's the day you nail it as stamina choose to give my life to pray this with me. Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner there's no excuse for that. I can't fix myself but I know that you can please come in my heart make me new. I give myself to you in Jesus name, amen. Everybody thinks or listening to this podcast to learn more about harvest ministries follow the show and consider supporting that. Just go to harvest.org and the find out how to know God personally go to harvest.org and click on know God