John Chapter 6:6-9

Now, what was the problem here? What was Philip's problem? What was Andrew's problem? They had left God out of the equation.

They weren't sitting there thinking, okay, this is the Son of God sitting here. I wonder what he's going to do. This is going to be awesome. Now they're sitting here, we only got that so much money. We only got, you know, five loaves, two fishes.

This is never going to work out. We're overwhelmed. Now, gosh, don't miss something here. Did Jesus know how many people were there? Oh, you betcha. Did Jesus know how much money they had? Oh, you betcha. Did he know that there was only five loaves and two fishes?

You betcha. And what was he doing? He's asking the disciples, what are you guys going to do? He was asking them, oh, better yet, he was placing them in a situation that was impossible.

It was impossible. He put them there and they should have gone to the Lord first going, Lord, I don't know. What are you going to do, Jesus? Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Carnersville, North Carolina. Today, one of David McGee's associate pastors, D.A.

Brown, is with us. As Pastor David begins his teaching, a little is a lot. Tell us about it, brother. Bob, in this world, we're going to face trouble. The important thing is to remember that we should go to the Lord first with our problems and needs.

Go to him today. Pastor David is going to remind us this as he discusses it in the Gospel of John chapter 6. And now, here's David McGee with part two of his teaching, A Little is a Lot. So we're in John chapter 6, verse 6. It says, But this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Jesus will test you. Most of you have probably been walking with the Lord long enough where you realize this. Jesus will ask you questions to test you in some areas.

Well, what are you going to do about that? Calmly trust the Lord. Because see, the Lord knows how you're going to get through this. He's just wondering if you know how you're going to get through this. And in the exchange, if you're going to trust God. You know what you're really saying to the Lord when you get anxious and aggravated? You're saying, God, I don't trust you. Or I don't trust you.

I don't know what you're doing and I'm not sure I can trust what you're doing. That's what that is speaking to the Lord. And certainly we don't want to send that message to him. And what happens is we forget. We forget that God is part of the equation.

That's our first life lesson. In dealing with life and its problems, remember, God is part of the equation. God is part of the equation.

It's not just how you're going to get through something or what's going to happen to you in a situation. It's how you and God are going to get through a situation. In this situation, which is recorded in all four gospels in Luke's account, it says, when the day began to wear away, Luke 9, verse 12, when the day began to wear away, the 12 came and said to him, send the multitude away that they may go into surrounding towns and country and lodge and get provision for we are in a deserted place here. And then Jesus takes it one step further in verse 13, but he said to them, you give them something to eat. I love Jesus. I love these exchanges with the disciples. And look at the solution of the disciples, send them away. Go away.

That was the solution on more than one occasion. You recognize that? Remember when the kids are coming to Jesus, send them away.

Get them out of here. He can't be doing that with kids. And Jesus corrected them. But you know, sometimes God will have you to do something that doesn't make sense. He'll ask you to take that step of faith and then he'll meet you in that step of faith. And you know what?

I've seen God bless so many times stepping out in faith and then God honoring that step of faith that he led you to take over and over and over. And you know what? I am silly enough to dream big dreams and have big visions.

You know why? Because I serve a big God. I don't serve a big God. Oh God, I know you're so small, but could we talk you into helping us out with this? I don't serve that kind of God. I serve a big God, a huge God that is able to do more than we can imagine. So verse 7, Philip answered him, 200 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.

I love this stuff. That's a half a year's wages. A denarius was about, it was a common penny, maybe some of you have that in your version, which was the laborer's day pay.

It was about half a year of salary, if you will. Now guys, we were just told that Philip's being tested. Now what is Philip doing right now?

Well, let's back up. Did Jesus know how Philip was going to respond to the test? Yeah, he did. He knew how Peter was going to respond to his test and he knew he would fail. And if you remember, he said, but when you return, I'll pray that your faith is strengthened. See, for a long time as a Christian, I thought God tested me so that he could find out what I would do.

Boy, there's a real problem with that, isn't there? Theologically speaking, God knows everything. So God knows how I'm going to respond to a test or to a given situation. So why do we have these tests and trials?

Ah, so we can find out what we're going to do in any given situation. Life lesson here is tests are for us to see what is going on more than for the Lord to know. God knows everything. When you get in the middle of a test, he's not up there going, I wonder what they're going to do.

I wonder how this is going to go. He knows. Now, the awesome thing, the awesome, awesome thing is every trial, every test that you go through, God knows. God knows how he's going to deliver you out of that test or that trial. He knows how he's going to deliver you through that test or that trial.

And the trial itself can be a win-win situation. Now, I understand we go through some tough times. I go through tough times. You go through tough times.

But there can still be a winning situation in that. We know that in part because Romans chapter 8 verse 28, many of you know the verse, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Your attention, please. When you go through a trial, one of two things happens. Either you do well, you stand strong, or you fail. Now, if you stand strong and you do well, you know, maybe something happens, and before you would have yelled at somebody or yelled a particular phrase at somebody or something, and you don't do that, it's really encouraging in the Lord, isn't it?

It's like, oh, praise God. You know, I didn't do this. I didn't say that.

I didn't hit him or, you know, whatever. And, you know, I responded well to that trial, and you can take encouragement in the Lord. You say, wow, God is, he's really changing me.

He's really growing. I was faced with this temptation, and I didn't do it. I didn't click that link on that website that I knew would stumble me. Now, you can take encouragement, or what else happens? Well, sometimes you fail. Sometimes you fall. Sometimes you don't come through the trial or the test passing with flying colors, but understand still, there's something to be gained through that, because there comes a fresh recognition of the grace of God, that you can be forgiven when you do stumble, when you do fail, and perhaps you had forgotten where your strength came from. Perhaps just for a moment, you thought you were strong enough to endure something, and it was time for you to be reminded that your strength should rest in Him. That's what Peter needed to be reminded of, that his strength, his faith shouldn't be in Peter. It should have been in Jesus. So, every test, every trial, win-win. Isn't that awesome? That is such a God thing that people in the world don't have.

They can't experience it. Now, here's a way you can lose in that trial and that test, and I see it, and I hear about it. You can blame somebody else in the midst of your test or your trial. Oh, you know, I wouldn't have been in that place had so-and-so not done this. I wouldn't have responded to that in such a way of so-and-so wouldn't have said that or wouldn't have done that or this or that. But, see, God's trying to teach you something, and you can't repent for somebody else.

And rarely, you can speak the truth to somebody else, and they'll receive it, but it's not like God's speaking to somebody. See, what we have to step back and we have to see and we go, okay, here's where my fault was, Lord. I didn't trust you in this. I got freaked out. I got anxious.

Help me to trust you more. Rather than going, Lord, just, you know, get that person out of my life because they just bother me. You know, bless them with a brick in the head, Lord, you know. And what happens is we no longer looking at God. We're looking at this person or that person, and we're going to miss the lesson. Sad to say, when you miss the lesson with the Lord, you know what he does.

He sends you back to the same lesson. And I've seen people that are, they've been trying to learn the same lesson for 20 years. They're just doing, it's like a revolving door or something because they've yet to get the truth that God is wanting to speak to them. Except the responsibility in the midst of those things. Lord, you know, I see what you're trying to teach me. And in almost every situation, there's something that you might have done and you might have said, and you repent to the Lord and those people as well.

And it's a powerful testament. This past week, I called somebody and boy, you know, this person, this couple, this whatever has, they've been really hateful. They've gossiped, they've lied, they've said this, they've said that. And the Lord laid on my heart and he said, you need to call them and apologize. Whew. All right.

Praise God. I mean, that was a tough one. That was a tough one. And then, and I thought, Oh, okay. Okay. Lord, I know what you're doing.

Be careful when you start a sentence like that. Lord, I know what you're doing. I'm going to call and apologize. And they're going to cry in repentance and go, brother, I just, I'm so brokenhearted at all I've done. I'm going to cry in repentance and go, brother, I just, I'm so brokenhearted at all I've done to you. Well, I called, I apologized.

They didn't actually, they started up again. Praise God. So, but I had to look at that situation and say, Lord, was I a hundred percent without sin, without guilt, or was there a way that I could have honored you more in that situation? And I walked away thinking there was a way I could have honored God more. And so I repented to the Lord and repented to them. Now that's between them and God, if they repent. I pray they do, but sometimes people do and sometimes they don't, but I have to take responsibility.

And while, you know, if I'm out here going, I'm not looking at me, you know that old saying, you know, when you point at somebody, you got one finger at them and you got three at you. So we weren't, we run around sometimes blaming others for stuff that we need to be in fact, repenting for. And it's interesting, Philip gauges their ability to meet the need on finances. Perhaps this is what they had in the disciple treasury or whatever. Maybe Judas had given a report and this is what they had after he took his cut or whatever. But Andrew was looking at the wrong things, wasn't he?

And he was thinking small. Oh, if we had this, we could do that, but we don't have that, so we can't do it. Man, that kind of small thinking, that's a disease with Christians.

You can't, I'm not getting in the name and claim it and blab it and grab it and all that stuff, but you know what? We need to be able to trust God and trust God when he lays something on our heart that he's going to bring it to pass and be careful of small things. Oh, God would never do that. Oh, God would never bless that. Oh, you know, I'd rather try big things for God and occasionally fail because the results are up to him. But if he lays something on our heart to try as a body or as individuals, let's step out in faith. Let's see what happens. We'll be right back with more from David McGee on Cross the Bridge. Right now, here's a word from associate pastor D.A. Brown. Hey, Bob, we're excited about God's word going forth with Pastor David, and we want to pray for some people in these cities where we're broadcasting today.

In California, we have Yucca Valley, and in Colorado, we have Burlington, Fort Morgan, Grand Junction, Lamar, Lyman, and Montrose. God, we thank you for the people listening today in these areas. We pray that they would be encouraged in your word. They would realize that you want to bless them. Lord, you have a good plan for them. God, we pray for those who are sick in the area that you would please heal them. And Lord, we pray for the pastors in the churches that they would be ignited, and all the good plans you have for them, and sharing your word throughout their city. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

Thank you, brother. And now, let's get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse. You know, they're sitting there talking about giving them a little. What's Jesus sitting there thinking?

In a few minutes, everybody's going to be so stinking full, we're going to have 12 baskets of leftovers. That's what he was sitting there thinking. Ephesians chapter 3 verse 20 says, Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us. What an awesome verse. Or the New Living translation in that verse says, Now glory be to God. By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

Man, I love those verses. Infinitely more than you can ask or hope. I can ask for a lot. I can hope for a lot. God says, you know, I can do more than that.

More than you're able to dream or imagine even. And it's interesting because a lot of these guys were fishermen. Have you ever noticed in Scripture that God, Jesus, three different times produces fish for them?

This time, supernaturally, in just a moment. To fishermen. Why is that interesting? Because fishermen are probably sitting there thinking, We know how to get fish. You go down there, you throw the net in and you pull them up and then you have fish. And the other times, you know, Jesus came and said, Throw your net on the other side of the boat. And they probably thought, We're fishermen.

We know what we're doing. But they listen to the Lord. What's the key here? The life lesson here is God is your source. God is your source.

Don't ever get confused about that. Your source is not your job. Your source is not your boss. Your source is not your spouse. Your source is your God.

Man, if you can get that, that is so liberating. You know why? Because God's faithful. God is faithful. And in these other things, your job, your boss, your spouse and all these other things may go through different cycles and changes.

And they can bring a lot of anxiety to you. But if you realize that God is your source and that God is faithful, no need to get freaked out, friend. God's going to take care of you. God is going to be the source to take care of you. Now, he may use other people like we have the blessing room and the food pantry. That may be the way that he provides for you.

But nevertheless, God is your source. Verse 8, One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? Now, what was the problem here? What was Philip's problem? What was Andrew's problem? They had left God out of the equation. They had left God out of the equation.

They weren't sitting there thinking, okay, this is the Son of God sitting here. I wonder what he's going to do. This is going to be awesome. Now they're sitting there, well, we only got that so much money. We only got, you know, five loaves, two fishes.

This is never going to work out. We're overwhelmed. Now, gosh, don't miss something here. Did Jesus know how many people were there? Oh, you betcha. Did Jesus know how much money they had? Oh, you betcha. Did he know that there was only five loaves and two fishes?

You betcha. And what was he doing? He's asking the disciples, what are you guys going to do? He was asking them, oh, better yet, he was placing them in a situation that was impossible.

It was impossible. He put them there. He knew the people were hungry. He knew what they had.

He knew this was going to happen. They could have been, you know, they could have had donkeys loaded down with bread and fish because they, they should have good planning and, you know, and, but that's not what he did, is it? He placed them in this situation and they should have gone to the Lord first going, Lord, I don't know.

What are you going to do, Jesus? Life lesson here is go to the Lord first with your problems and your needs. The Lord put them in a position where only he could provide the solution.

Let me rephrase that. God put them in a position where there was no answer except him. God put them in a position where there was no answer except him.

This is not the first time he did. He does this all through scripture. You remember in the book of Exodus, after they left Egypt and Moses has all these people and Moses, he's got to see it as back. He's got mountains on both sides and Pharaoh's armies barreling down at him.

And if you saw the 10 commandments on it, if you remember the part, but you know, Yul Brynner says, says, oh, their God is a poor military strategist. He's placed them in a trap. That's the way it looked. And God did indeed place them in that position where they, they didn't know what they were going to do. It looked like there was no way out. No, it just looked like they were trapped. Guys, you're never trapped. You're never trapped. If your faith is in God, you're never trapped. It doesn't matter if the red sea is behind you and there's a mountain on each side and you got Pharaoh's army barreling down on it, doesn't matter. You're not trapped. It may look like you're trapped, but you're not trapped.

Why? Because God will do something. God will do something.

And God will place you in that position where you have to trust him and you have to count on him to come through. And I love, I love the verse in Exodus chapter 14, verse 13. It says, and Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will shall see again, no more forever. The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.

Now there's an interesting thing in here. Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Some of you've heard this before, but it's good stuff. That word salvation. It's an interesting word in the original languages in the Hebrew, that word, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. That word for salvation is a high Yeshua or Yahshua. We know the English version of that word is Joshua.

We're much more familiar with the Greek form of that word, which is Jesus. It's Jesus. What an awesome thing that back in Exodus, Jesus is on every page of the book, back in Exodus, they're in an impossible situation. And Moses says, do not be afraid. Stand still and see the Yahshua of the Lord. And then don't be afraid. Stand still and see the Yahshua of the Lord. See the salvation of the Lord. Guys, you're never trapped in every situation. Turn to the Lord and watch him bring you through. And I know occasionally you'll get freaked out. You'll get anxious and you'll think, man, I can't do this. And sometimes God will place you in a position where you come to that realization.

I can't do this. And God was going, Oh man, I've been waiting for you to say that because I'm going to show you that I can do it. But you had to come to the end of yourself and realize that you couldn't do it, that you had to quit struggling. That's the way it is with salvation. As long as you think you can earn salvation, you're hopeless because you'll keep trying to earn it. But the moment you realize, you know what, I can't be good enough to be saved. God says, Oh, you got it. That's it.

You're right. You can't be good enough to be saved. So I died on the cross that you might be saved so that you can be set free. And whatever situation you're in in life, God is wanting to come through. And you could have looked at this situation in the natural and go, well, you know, five loaves and two swell fish. That's hopeless.

A little is a lot in the hands of the Lord. Are you here this morning and maybe you're worn out. Maybe you're really tired. Maybe you're tired of fighting.

Maybe you're tired of losing. But there's just a little bit of faith left. There's just a little bit of belief that maybe God will come through this time. Maybe God does have a good plan for your life. Maybe God is going to deliver you through this.

That's all you need. Because with a little, it's a lot in the hands of the Lord. Whether it's a little belief, a little faith, a little hope, maybe a little step forward can lead you down to this place at the altar where you say, God, you know what? I'm, I'm in a place. I don't know how I'm getting out.

I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know how I'm, I seem surrounded, God, and I need you to come through for me. Realize that the Lord may have put you, let me back up. The Lord did put you in that situation so that you could be surrounded so that you would look up, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.

There's no doubt in my mind that this is describing some people here this morning, and the Lord wants to deliver you out. He wants to give you a hope. He wants to give you a future. He has a good plan for your life, but he wants for you to take the little that will turn into a lot in his hands. He wants you to take that step towards him, that little bit of hope, that little bit of belief, and then the next step's easier, and the next step's easier, and the next step's easier, and the Lord's just looking for that little for you to come to the Lord, and he knows. He knows what's going on in your life. He knows your struggles. He knows how difficult these things have been, and his desire is that you would grow through them, and that you would look up, and that you would glorify him because he wants to deliver you. No doubt in my mind, but will you look to him, and will you take those small steps towards him to be reminded it's not about you anymore. It's about him, and even if you're in an impossible situation, the Lord's desire is to deliver you out of that situation. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Now God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven, and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life, and I've done wrong things. I have sinned, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you, all of my days. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations, friend.

You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. Well, DA, before we go, what are some ways that we can bless our listeners? Each day, you can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David through the Word of God with his email devotional, life lessons to consider, a daily reading plan, and a thought to meditate on throughout your day from the heart of David McGee. That sounds good, Pastor DA.

And again, it's been great to have you with us on the program today. But tell us, what else can our listeners find on crossthebridge.com? If you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday, why not join us for our live stream at 10 a.m. Eastern Time or on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. Eastern Time? Just visit crossthebridge.com and click on our live stream link. There, you'll experience a live service from David's home church, The Bridge in North Carolina. Again, that website is crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time as David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the Gospel of John.