When Your Faith is Tested

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A little later in the program we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's devotional, Moments in the Word. But first, here's the message, when your faith is tested.

Multiplying the loaves and the fish and feeding a multitude. A story so important that all four gospel writers share this story. It's the only miracle besides the resurrection itself that is told in all of the gospels.

We get to believe even, even when our faith is tested. Beginning in verse 5, lifting up his eyes then and seeing a large crowd that was coming toward him. Jesus said to Philip, where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? And he said this to test him.

For he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, 200 denarii would not buy enough bread for each of us. And he asked each of them to get 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 they for so many? Jesus said, have the people sit down.

Now there was much grass in this place. And so the men sat down, about 5,000 in number. Jesus then took the loaves and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated so also the fish, watch this, as much as they wanted.

Everyone had as much as they wanted. Now the crowds had swelled to follow Jesus. Everywhere Jesus went, people were following him. He could barely escape the crowds, even in times of rest.

In the ministry, it seems that he is tired and exhausted in a human sense. He had time for people who were running after him. Many of these were of course thrill seekers, but many sincerely wanted to know him, to experience him. Why did the crowds, the masses of people, follow Jesus?

Well for one, it was his majesty, his magnetism. There was something about the presence of Jesus. That drew people to him. Whether it was a small child or sinners, characters of all kinds, common people heard him gladly. It was just the presence and the power of Jesus that drew people to himself.

And what was true then is certainly true today, right? Now we're told that Jesus lifted up his eyes, verse five, and he saw the crowds coming at him. The other gospel writers in particular tell us that Jesus was moved with compassion.

Matthew 14, 14 for example, says that when Jesus saw these crowds coming at him, he just didn't see masses or faces in a crowd. He saw individuals and he was moved with compassion. Now the word compassion means more than pity. It is passion. It is pity plus passion. It is sympathy. It's a word which means to churn within, to feel deeply. When Jesus saw the lostness and the emptiness of people, the brokenness of people and the crowds that needed him, he was moved. It's akin to the word empathy or understanding.

It's akin to what we feel and when we hurt. Now I love it when crowds gather to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, to meet Jesus. It's a great thing when many people come to know and to worship him. It's always about the one because that's what matters to Jesus. Jesus saw people as individuals. He looked beyond the masses and saw people who needed him. And his heart would go out to each person. And we are to see people like this, the disciples when they saw these crowds coming and Jesus wondered what can we do. Now he knew what he was going to do, of course, but when he inquired of the disciples, how are we going to feed these people? The disciples said let's send them away.

Send them back home because we don't have what it takes to meet their needs. Sometimes I think Christians can see the crowds in particular the world as a bother, even as an enemy. It's very important that we not see the people, the crowds of people in the world as our enemy. Those who do not know Christ. They're not our enemy. Satan is our enemy.

People in the world who are captured by Satan are in bondage to him and people without Christ do what people without Christ do. And we as the people of God should have the heart of God and the eyes of Jesus to see people as he saw them. Now Philip was called upon in particular because he seemed to be somewhat the administrator of the group, Philip ever practical. Jesus said, Philip, how are we going to feed all of these people? That's verse 6.

And Philip already had it figured out. He said, look, a man could work for a solid year and all his earnings would not buy enough food to give every person here just a little bit, even a single bite. Yet Jesus said to them, these disciples, you, Matthew 14 verse 16, you, emphatic you, you give them something to eat. This was not an option. It was a command.

But how? There were 5,000 men plus the women and children. So the crowd, the multitude was in excess of what?

10,000? Upwards to 15,000 people. So you can understand just a little bit maybe why Philip and the others didn't know what to do. It was an impossible situation. They didn't have the ability to feed all of these people. And in effect, they saw the crowd as if not an enemy, they saw the crowd as a problem, not as a possibility for God to work his miraculous power. This was a test, of course, and a teachable moment to stretch the faith of believers like these men, these disciples.

You might even call this the lesson of the loaves. Because what we learn, and I want to show you four very important principles that we learn from this passage, what we learn will help us to pass the test of life and to be ready for anything. Number one, we are to show genuine compassion for those in need. Show genuine compassion for those in need. Now, I'm very happy to say that through the generations, Christians have taken that call to meet people at the point of their needs seriously. Christian people do this more than any others, whether you're talking about relief work or whether you're talking about medical care or education, feeding the poor, ministering to the hurting and the broken. So it's good to be able to say that Christians have been willing to be the eyes of Christ, the hands of Christ working because we know that we are witnesses and we are servants of Jesus. People have physical needs.

And we're to meet those needs in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. How many of us have actually been in the household of someone beneath our own economic situation? How many of us have ministered in the homes of people who are poor?

Many of you have done this, of course. Many of you have gone to the cross and rose again. We have missed the whole point and missed the mission field. Because every person, rich and poor, is going to stand before a holy God and give an account of our lives. And apart from Jesus, the bread of heaven, there is no hope.

There is no salvation. So we go with food, but we go with faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what I see in this passage that I wanted to share with you so specifically today is that because Jesus has compassion on the masses and the multitudes of people, so are we to minister in his name. Right now, we're going to be Matches joining the year ahead by sending you pastor Graham's 180 day devotional moments in the word.

It's our way to thank you for your gift today to help proclaim the gospel to more people around the world through PowerPoint. So call now to get your copy of moments in the word when you give. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627.

You can also text the word PowerPoint to 3-1-300-4627. And don't forget to visit jackgramm.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is jackgramm.org. Now let's get back to today's message, When Your Faith is Tested. Secondly, God meets our needs when we face impossible situations. Situations that we cannot change or cannot handle.

We often in life find ourselves with our heads barely bobbing in the water, we're going under. When we face these seemingly impossible situations, God is stretching us. God is training us. He doesn't want us to stay in the same place spiritually, so He tests us, He trains us so that we'll reach out for more, which will go for a greater faith.

Not that just we're learning our faith, but we're living our faith. When we face a situation that we can't handle, like Philip and these disciples, he said we don't have what it takes, we can't do this, then God has us right where He wants us. Now you have to wonder why Philip and the others didn't know what to do. They didn't know what to do.

You have to wonder why. Because after all, they were standing in the presence of God. He knew it, they knew it. And all Philip needed to have said was, Lord, we don't know what to do, we don't have enough, but we know you do, so why don't you just do what you do? And turn it over to Him, to trust Him in this. Are we living in faith, or like Philip, are we always trying to figure things out?

Trying to work things out. You see, Philip's problem, along with the rest, he wanted to send the crowd away. The problem was that they couldn't fix it.

They couldn't figure it out when Jesus was standing right in front of them. And when you face impossible circumstances that are crushing you, some crisis in your life, maybe a financial crisis, maybe a marital crisis, a domestic crisis, physical, maybe you're sick, or an emotional need in your life, and you wonder, how am I ever going to get through this? How can we fix this?

Is there an answer for this? Trust God. Trust in a Savior who knows what He wants to do, and He will meet your needs and see you through no matter what.

He will make a way when there seems to be no way. And what God is doing in these circumstances, as in these disciples, when we come up against those problems and perplexities that we can't handle, He is stretching our faith and training us to go for more. And you ought to always expect the unexpected from Jesus, because that's what He did here. Jesus made a miraculous provision, and everyone had more than enough. Jesus took the loaves and the fishes, delivered by a little boy, and He multiplied them.

What an amazing scene this must have been. Some people want to take miracles like this one and explain them away. Oh, this was just a miracle of generosity. When everyone saw the generosity of the little boy, they pulled out their lunches and shared and everyone had enough.

No. God is the Creator. He made all things. And don't you know that the God who made the cosmos can make bread and feed people with fish. He made the universe. Making a meal is not a big deal for Jesus.

I don't know exactly how it happened. I mean, it wasn't that Jesus just said, poof, and all of these fish and this bread appeared, but rather it was something that happened in His hands. When the fish was given, He took it in His hand, He gave thanks, and He blessed it, and He began to pass the bread and the fish to His disciples. And then He blessed it and broke it again, and He passed it again, and He blessed it again, and He broke it again, and it just kept coming again and again. You know, Jesus does things that are impossible to explain. And when you can't explain it, He wants you to experience it. You know, faith is believing in a God who can do anything but fail. The world says, seeing is believing. We say, Jesus says, believing is seeing. And when you can't explain something, a miracle of God, don't try to explain it, but experience it.

Experience the power of God in your life. That's the lesson we all need to learn, to trust Him always. Thirdly, little is much when God is in it. Now of course, that's the lesson from the little lad here, whose mom packed him a lunch that day of five loaves. Don't think big loaves of bread like French bread under his arm.

But really little biscuits, almost like crackers. And it was barley bread. We know, we don't know this boy's name.

We don't know really that much about him. We presume he was a poor child because his mother packed his lunch with barley bread, which was the food the poor ate. It was really food given to animals. So he had this meager little lunch with a couple of fish, and again, not a big catch, like some people like to lie about, but little sardines, more like little sardines, and probably even a little relish. So it was this really kind of nasty, I've eaten fish like this, and it's not all that great.

I guess you acquire a taste for it. But sardines and crackers is what this amounted to. So five loaves and a few fish here, and he puts it in the hands of Jesus. And Jesus takes what this boy brought, and he uses it for his glory, which means that whatever we have when we bring it to Jesus, whether it is large or small, when we give it to him, he takes it and he transforms it, and he uses it for his glory. Don't insult God by saying, you are too small for God to use. I've met a lot of people who are too big for God to use. But God uses us when we're small enough to be used. God uses little things, little as much when God is in it.

It's more than a cliche, it's true. Hudson Taylor said this, great missionary, a little thing is a little thing. But faithfulness in little things is a big thing. Faithfulness in little things, that's a big thing in the sight of God. Ask the widow who gave just a few mites, just a few pennies, and she gave all her head. Ask David, a shepherd boy who killed a giant with just a few smooth stones, one stone and a slingshot.

Ask Samson who destroyed a Philistine army with the jawbone of a donkey, little things. Or Mary of Bethany who honored the Lord and her testimony is ringing true today because she broke simply an alabaster box, a vase of perfume in order to anoint the body of Jesus. Just a little boy now in heaven.

When you get there, ask Him. How exciting it was to bring what He could bring for Jesus to use for His glory. Just a little thing, but we're still talking about it 2,000 years later. What God can do with people like you and me. He uses not the great, but people who know that He is great. When we are weak, He is strong. God uses us when we make ourselves available to Him and dependent upon Him. God gives us gifts and talents and abilities and resources and expects us to then develop those and deploy them in ministry. We are to grow our gifts and develop our talents and our abilities, but first we must give them completely to Him.

Have you done that? Have you come to the place in your faith and your walk with Christ that you have said, Lord, I take hands off my life. Whatever it is, I give it to you. And when we do that, we see God work in miraculous ways. One final lesson and that is Jesus is all you need. Now the people needed food that day, they were hungry. But more than food, they needed Jesus. And Jesus is the life giving, sustaining, satisfying bread of heaven.

Look at chapter 6 and verse 35. Jesus said, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Jesus and Jesus alone saves and satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart. Don't ever forget that Jesus is what you need and He is all that you need.

When you come to the end of yourself and you find yourself facing an impossible situation and you discover the presence and the power of God, you will walk away knowing that because of what He and He alone can do that you are secure, you are satisfied. He gave His life for you. He made the most ultimate provision on the cross for you. No wonder the scripture says, but my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Jesus Christ. When the miracle was done and the people were well fed and everyone had enough, there were 12 baskets full of food left over, one for all the disciples who passed the food around. Everyone participated in this miracle of multiplication because the hand of God was upon it. And the bread of heaven, Jesus Christ, is the one and the only one who will be your portion and your strength and your satisfaction and your security throughout the days of your life. So what do we learn with Jesus when He multiplied the loaves? We learn that we're to show compassion for those who are in need. We learn that God meets our needs when we face impossible situations, always. We learn that little is much when God is in it, and most of all, Jesus, the bread of heaven, is all we need. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, When Your Faith is Tested. Looking ahead to a new year can fill you with expectation, but it can also fill you with desperation. What if things get worse?

What if the world gets crazier? What if you don't have the strength to face what comes your way? It's through spending daily time in God's word that we find the strength, peace, and hope we need. And we want to help you do that by sending you Pastor Graham's 180-day devotional, Moments in the Word.

Moments in the Word is our special thanks for your gift this month, so call to request your copy today. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 313131. Text PowerPoint to 313131. And don't forget to visit JackGraham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional.

Our website again is JackGraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? I would say cheer up because impossible is where God starts. The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 was just a glimpse of the power of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1 tells us that through Christ all things were created by Him and in Him everything is held together. That's the power of God, the omnipotent power of God, the immeasurable power of Jesus who is our Savior. God meets our needs when we face the most impossible situation. He is there for us every time we call upon Him. We know in the Scriptures that God uses trials and tests and impossible situations to help us grow in our faith. And when we read the story of the great feeding of the 5,000, we know that God is strengthening us and helping us to believe that God can do anything but fail.

And if you are facing an impossible situation today, remember that the Lord is with you and that He is able to do more than you could possibly imagine because His power works in you. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint we'll send you Dr. Graham's 180-day devotional Moments in the Word as our thanks. Call 1-800-795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 31313. Text PowerPoint to 31313. Join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about the inevitable storms of life and how you can walk through them with Jesus. Join us next time on Power Point with Jack Graham. Power Point with Jack Graham is sponsored by Power Point Ministries.