Look Who Moved Out (Part 2)

I've heard people always talking about those who are negative and those were positive and positive people and negative people, and of course the is a whole multibillion-dollar business is been made out of all the stuff and when those of us who have come to Christ and surrendered our lives to him that the question is not, and is no longer what I can do what I can do what my assets and liabilities and how can I have a formation to get myself out of bed in the morning and who's going to I'm following and how I can get myself picked up and become a positive person but what can Christ do any what can Christ do through me. What can Christ do through what he has placed in my hand. Now think about the positive people and I thought of this kid who brought home a dismal report card and he handed to his dad and his dad literally, as was. He was watching his dead jaw dropping as he was looking at the report card and he said they had his one thing you can rejoice over with a report card like this. I couldn't possibly have cheated someone what is it a negative person is the one who feels badly when he feels good for fear that he will feel worse when he feels better figure this one out. But again limited come back to the point which is that when you come to Christ is no longer the question, how do I feel what do I think or how do I view my strengths and weaknesses are what really is possible for me. What is not possible or what can I do what can I not do, but what can Christ do with what I have. What can he do in me what he can do through me that I want to show you through that little boy placing all that he hands in the hand of Jesus. He blessed thousands and thousands and thousands of people sort them with me.

Please, if you haven't already. John chapter 6 this is one miracle actually that is repeated in all of the four Gospels with slight variation, but the most amazing part of this medical.

It really is not the supernatural power of Jesus. Because if you don't believe in the supernatural power of Jesus then you are up the creek without a paddle is not even about testing of the disciples without going to come to that in a minute. That really is a story about a young Jewish boy who trusted Jesus with all that he had and Jesus did the rest. It is his willingness to trust Jesus with what he had.

It is his confidence in Jesus that he can do far more exceedingly up lovely of what he couldn't think or imagine that is his simple moving out of his focus, even his own desperate need for food to what Jesus can do with small things. He entrusted Jesus to take the very little that he has, which is all that he had and multiply it too much. The four friends in the last message persevered in faith. This boy moved out in faith moved out in trust of the Lord Jesus Christ and that is why Jesus often speaks about the faith of a child were hard because when we get into the adult world with all of our cynicism with all of our skepticism with all of our negativism. It becomes difficult for us to trust in the promises of the Lord, but I wanted to limit our parents, grandparents, just listen to me for just for a bit. If you train your child to have confidence in God and his promises they will grow up to be men and women of immovable faith. If you model for your kids the absolute confidence in the promises of God in the dark times and in the tough times that you're clinging on him believing him, trusting all of his promises that will grow up to be faith filled men and women in the crowd follow Jesus and they would not leave him alone when it got later in the day Jesus compassion for them grew deeper and in fact the word compassion here is because the enemy felt sorry for the month and eyes but with little concern. And you know what and I don't want to gardening and relieved me know be hungry and faint along the wagon. Gotta do something. No, no, no, not the word here.

I wish I could express it to you.

There was a visceral, physical, emotional feelings that the Lord was feeling. He felt pain he felt anguish for the suffering of others. Jesus wept over Lazarus to he wept over Jerusalem when they would not respond them and recognize their desperate need and again and again. He showed his mercy both to those who believe than those who did not believe he even praying for those who mailed them to the cross. Listen, you have to understand that Jesus's miracles was more than just displaying his power to see all of Jesus's miracles welled up from a merciful heart from a compassionate heart and that is why we saw in the last message that he was profoundly concerned for the healing of the soul before the healing of the body because Jesus knew that I healed. The body will eventually die, but I healed so will never never never got so Jesus begins by using this opportunity as a midterm exam for his disciples, one of them got a solid F. The other one got a solid D+. Look at verse six. Philip mentally a few things about Philip. As I understand him from the Scriptures. Philip appeared to be a man of deep perceptions. He obviously was the quiet type. He was the analyzing type. He was a reflective type. He was an accountant.

Listen, I thank God for accountants and they keep us honest and they keep us out of jail and I thank God for them all the time. Philip obviously was a numbercrunching man. His first reaction when Jesus said what are you going to do. He whipped up his Capernaum Sony calculator and bring bring bring me me me me me and he got that thing worked out is that Jesus, for all these people to have a little bit of bread will have to one person salary for eight months, eight months wagering man this guy is a great mathematician arming his incredible just one small piece of bread he looks at the impossibility and he falls in deep despair is nowhere resolution of this problem is an impossibility will beloved this.

Be honest with each other.

How many times have we been there received nothing but despair.

Right now I have probably seen and heard more people who are despairing with our country despairing with our economy despairing with our policies and the spreading of our leaders and I've heard and lost 40 is a problem. Here is a problem. I have not seen too many have seen some but I haven't seen too many of God's children saying let's call upon God who is the God of the impossible best call upon God, our God, who is the God of power: this call upon God who can make away.

When this seemed to be no way that God's people do that. Let's see what can happen in this country must confess it.

There are times when I find myself just for short period of time, and in some despair. Despair over the fact how the Christian churches departing from the truth of the word of God how Christians are not moving out into the world in obedience to the command of God, despair of how Christians are not sharing the message of life in the dying world. Despair over how Christians either given up for gave in and ceased to be salt and light. But thank God I don't stay there for too long, is often the Lord's does something to shake me up immediately and get me out of my despair because God in his grace and his mercy he doesn't let me stay down for very long and the other day I got a letter from 1/3 grader, a daughter, one of our vestry members who led her friend to Christ in the backseat of the car as the parents were driving my daughter about encouragement about the newest development my dime all week by month my year.

Not long ago I got a letter from Little Rock, Arkansas from a lady with a check and she said I'm sending you this letter and this gift to be used specifically for Muslim evangelism is or what's big about that. A lot of people do that.

Listen to the rest of the story. If I can get through it. This you want to tell the story.

She said you might've heard in the news.

What happened in June 2009 my son Andy is an Army recruiter is been recruiting for the Army and one day he was standing in Little Rock Arkansas's recruiting office in a Muslim terrorist came and shot him and killed him. Her beloved son died at the hand of a Muslim terrorist in Little Rock, Arkansas and this woman wanted to give a gift to evangelize Muslims and I called out literally with tears in my eyes to thank her and she said why are you surprised wouldn't Jesus have done the same, tell my you talk about a shot in the familiar talk about encouragement you talk about somebody moving out of their comfort zone. All mind listen to me this is the faith that honors Jesus and it's a phase that Jesus honors the Lord is saying anything to us as a body if he saying anything to us at all his savings start where you are and while Philip gets a solid F in this midterm exam.

I thought about this and I thought about it long and hard. I probably would not have fared better myself and you say why because every time we calculate without faith. Every time we depend solely on the visible evidence. Every time we reach for the bottom line every time we forget the supernatural power that is given to us and is available to us every time we lean more toward arithmetic then adventure every time we leave out the God factor we get a solid F no Andrew gets a slightly better grade. He gets a D+ Andrew obviously was a thrifty fella and that is why he is the patron saint of Scotland.

Did you know that in fact he demonstrated thrifty Scottish aversion to spending money. He actually spoke to the Lord with a Scottish accent is what he said those are. There is a wee lad here who has five loaves of bread and to we fishes. But listen to Andrew. At least it was small, but at least it's a start it's better than nothing. Anger is what you would call a cautious optimist. He protects himself is another kind hedge your bets on Manila were fluent because of things go south because the man I told you so we got this little boy.

He's got some bread and couple fishes. But once in relationship to all this desperate need that nothing really. In comparison, just, they pale in approximation, but he thought, at least he thought possibly Jesus can do something with possibly the Jesus can work a miracle reverse little things. That is why Andrew was right. You see, Jesus can work with the little thing you can offer him but remember this, somebody says I'm sitting on a pile here and I'm going to give Jesus a crumbs and let them work with that none I know you have to remember that boy gave everything there was little but it was everything I willingness to sacrifice to. That's the thing.

See, Jesus doesn't want what you really gave you your time and your talent and your treasure he gave you all that he doesn't want as needed. He wants you to be willing to give it up to him so that he may multiply, and blessed thousands with it. I think it was FB Meyer who once said to the effect he said the sooner we understand that is not for us to ignite the flame.

It is not for us to supply the oil and is not for us to trim the wick.

Our job is to ensure that nothing we do. That will put out the flame and so beloved.

The question is this. Do you see yourself as a manufacturer or do you see yourself as a distributor. The reason so many Christians sit in their comfort zone and don't come out and take risk and faith is because they think they are manufacturers when all that God is asking you to do is to be a distributor is a manufacturer. Now think about is all I'm glad this boy did not go to Judas with his lunch because Judas would've eaten his lunch.

At least going to Andrew is a smart thing. Andrew may get a solid B+ for mustard seed faith. But when it comes to the lead. He gets in a he gets in a what the boy had with them up to be much, but it was everything he had. These loaves were like just slightly bigger than a silver dollar pancakes. We really are the small pieces of bread and a big loaf in this fish. They like sardines.

The very small, but God can take what you have, what you offer him and do big and great things with them. Can I get a witness in this God used Moses as raw for miracles in Egypt. God choose David slaying to slay the giant God used a desperately poor went out to feed the prophet Elijah. God used the little Jewish slave girl in the mighty household of Naaman. The Syrian general to heal them of leprosy, God used a donkey to speak to Baylor and here he uses the little boys lunch that he offered him the fee thousands upon thousands of people. I thought about this enough of the boy could really have kept his lunch himself.

And after all he is hungry he needs it and who would blame he needed to at least thought ahead and brought lunch was hungry and he needed the food he could've walked down the lunch so fast before the discussion was taking place with component he could've sold it to them.

Because after all, this is a supply and demand situation right as to how much would you pay me for this. He could have hidden it and nobody would know about it but instead he chose to offer to Jesus what are you doing with the talents treasure and the time that is given you. He willingly surrendered all that he had. He probably was a chronic kid who heard people talk about Jesus, who probably heard about Jesus, by reputation, that is a miracle worker. He probably seen the running around of the crowd he saw Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead. He probably saw someone trusted that he can do great things with his long lunch and Jesus did thousands of people were fed until they could look at food anymore that was stuffed in 12 baskets left over. Please listen carefully whether you are 90 or nine years old, thickly young people I wanted to listen carefully God wants to use you.

He's asking every single one of us. You cannot look over at your side is always talking to him is talking to her is not talking to me. I'm talking directly to the Holy Spirit speaking to you and is saying what do you have what have I placed in your hand. All Lord I really don't have much Lord I have very little Lord that the inflation is coming. Lori Deming, I got a store of some gold for my security Lord my securities in Jesus a man walked.

I need to hoard as much as I can for my future. My family's future, but I am not eloquent. Lord I can't speak Lord I'm bashful. I'm sure I'm reserve Lord I'm not rich and I'm not this around, but I'm young and I'm telling I heard all the excuses in the book he wants you to offer to him what you don't have what you have, what he placed in your hand and watch how we can multiply that to his glory.

But you know there is really a lesson inside the lesson here because God can do whatever he wants to do without us. In fact, I remember the story about William Carey, the founder of the modern missionary movement. He was only a short repairman but he had the burden is hard to go to India and he literally ignited the entire mission movement to have over 200 years ago when he went to the leaders of the church to tell him that God is calling to the mission field, the bishop of the church looked at him as a young man. If God wants to convert the heathen. He can do it without you talk about encouragement. God use that man to deny the gospel message in India. God can do whatever he wants to do. We cannot without us is sick. He can perform all the medicals without you without me, but somehow he chose to use us with our meager resources to magnify his glory.

I believe with all my heart that God can receive greater glory in the tough times.

Then in the easy Street. I really doubt we were wasting their time. We should be wasting this time because that's where our faith is tested and proved why because God chose to reveal his plan of redemption through witness. He wants to manifest his power through our weakness. He wants his abundance to be on display this part of our lack. He wants to use all of the small things that we might offered him for greater effectiveness than all the world's power. Little becomes much in the Masters hand. When the crowd was fed Nicholson the goodness of man we want this on a regular basis so they wanted to make Jesus King by force is amazing how human nature has never changed. We always vote for the politician who promises the most is something Jesus understood the superficiality he understood their superficial motives and why they want to make him a king, and he wanted them to know more than that. He wanted to understand that is far greater than just a medical workup that is far greater than just one bare earthly king that he is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings that he is the bread of life, without whom nobody is going to make it to heaven as what he said few verses on our thinking about this and thought of a story from the month will be years and years ago is called the camp of the woods and it's in upper New York state. He told me that when walking to the door the first thing you see in the hallway is a US dollar in a frame and next to it is a story.

The story goes something years ago there was a missionary by the name of John recto he was working in Hong Kong and he came home to raise sufficient funds to buy a building to turn it into an orphanage to minister to the Chinese kids in Hong Kong but he only had one response of a dollar. That's all you got one dollar from a little girl who said I want to give my ice cream allowance to this project. What happened was the well-known ministry known as a Christian children's fund.

They have several buildings in Hong Kong and he decided to sell one get out of the office business and sell one of those properties to John Bechtel for $250,000 and so was only one dollar in the balance to decline the offer. A year later the same organization when they heard the story of this little girl who gave up her dollar. Her ice cream allowance. They decided to sell the property to John Bechtel for one dollar with the promise that the property would be used solely for gospel salvation message to all who would come within the doors and since then, thousands of Chinese have heard little kids of heard the gospel accepted Christ and what is known today assumed to Luger developers ice cream alone. You see, little is much in the Masters hand. And God multiplied it. Thousands and thousands and thousands of souls, what do you have to off to the God who gave you everything so that Jesus's power can be manifested. Only you can answer that question father among us. Those who have never given their life to you. I pray that today will be the day when they offer themselves to among us. Those who have known you for years and they went to church and they went home, week after week. They've never taken your commission seriously among us.

Those who are working hard serving you with all of there being only your searching eyes.

No every individual boy girl man or woman father. Our joy comes from knowing that you know father lit cry of each of our hearts.

Here I sin in Jesus name. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that's LTW.Ward