Message 04: Miracles for the Multitude

John’s Gospel is built around seven key miracles of Jesus – of which we are in the fourth one today. Thus far we’ve seen the Supernatural Jesus…
• Change water into wine
• Use the power of His Words to heal across a great distance!
• Heal a man who was lame for 38 years

• Because Jesus can change water into wine – You can be changed as well! Come to Him in faith and He will transform your life!
• Because Jesus’ Word has power – believe Him at His Word and receive what He speaks!
• Because Jesus can heal even someone who has been sick for decades, begin to receive a new anointing and authority – even in your old age!

Today, we look at a different kind of miracle. John 6:1
“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),
and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” v. 1-2

By this time, Jesus wasn’t welcome in the Synagogues of Galilee. He was too much of a threat to the Establishment. So, he goes out to the Sea of Galilee, and a ‘great crowd’ of people follow him.

Why are they following Him? – “because they saw the miraculous signs…” What he had done with the changing of water into wine, the healing of the nobleman’s son and healing of the man at the pool of Bethseda had spread like wildfire throughout Galilee.

That isn’t to say that they had come to fully believe in Him as the Messiah, but one thing was for sure He had a lot more to offer than the Pharisee’s and religious leaders that the people had known all of their lives.

Doesn’t that make sense to you? All of us have a yearning for a connection with God, and this young man comes along and starts doing ‘God-like’ things.

Jesus had foretold that His ministry was going to always be characterized by miraculous works that help people. As we’ve looked at numerous times before – He said in Luke 4:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”” Luke 4:18, 19

He is all about bringing people like us into true freedom.

Is it any wonder that in the 20th Century, the fastest growing segment of Christianity around the world has been Spirit-filled Pentecostal and Charismatic churches who not only BELIEVE in a Supernatural Jesus, but they DO WHAT Jesus did!

One of my favorite people is Reinhold Bonnke – an evangelist who spends most of his time ministering in Africa. His ministry is accompanied by great waves of healing – literally thousands of people are healed at his crusades, and people are getting saved by tremendous numbers! Listen to what he writes in a letter I received this month: “During one five day crusade, one million, four hundred and sixteen thousand, six hundred and eighty-four souls surrendered their hearts and completed decisions cards.”

Five Days: 1,416,684 human beings embraced Christ!

Why this amazing harvest? Because they are seeing the undeniable power of the Supernatural Jesus to heal!

Will Summit Church grow numerically? YES!
How? As we act in faith in this same Supernatural Jesus and move in the power of the Holy Spirit!

Now, look at verse 3:
“Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” v. 3-5

Whenever you have a crowd, you have special issues to consider. And a compassionate host does whatever they can do to make sure those needs are met. With this many people, meeting in a remote location (no fast food restaurants or Starbucks!), they are going to need to eat. So Jesus poses the question: “Where shall we buy bread…”

Now look at verse 6:
“He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” v. 6

Christ knows the solutions to our problems, before we know that we have problems! He knew what He was going to do. He’s God. He’s Supernatural. He’s got it covered.

So, he tests his disciples. He wants to help them to see this problem through His eyes. He’s looking for faith. He is looking for confidence.

I have cancer. If’d you would have asked me in January – “Hey, Doug, are you going to have cancer this year!?” I’d have said: “Are you nuts!” But even the first time that I noticed the growth in my neck, Christ already knew that I had cancer – and He already knew the solution. So, when I cried out to Him early on about this, He continually reassured me and reminded me that this is to His Glory! He spoke to me and said: “This is not unto death, this is to my glory!”

Now, what would satan have me do in this midst of this problem? How about worry? Fret? Stress out? Be filled with insecurity, doubts and fears! – But those things aren’t to the glory of God!

In fact, this week, the Spirit of God spoke to me and said: “Discipline your mind to think my thoughts. Discipline your emotions to feel my feelings. Discipline your tongue to speak my words!”

Christ comes to me and says: “This is to my glory.” And I respond in faith, in confidence, in boldness, in joy, in peace. And as I do so, this response is to His glory!

I believe that the Spirit of God is saying to us right now:
“You have focused on your problems for far too long. Your lives have become filled with fear, doubts, depression and anxiety. You are being called into Christ-like maturity and confidence. Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. Fear not. I love you. Nothing will happen to you that is a surprise to me. I already know what I am going to do about your problem. Stop worrying, instead speak faith.”

Now, in response to Jesus’ testing question, we are about to see a very ADULT-LIKE response and a CHILD-LIKE one.

“Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”” v. 7-9

Philip is definitely the adult in the group. He’s the realist. He’s the pragmatist. He has already had his calculator out and has figured out the cost per person and he knows that there simply aren’t the resources to feed these folks.

Andrew, on the other hand, has been out amongst the people. He found a young boy who is willing to share his brown bag lunch, but even still, there isn’t enough.

That’s because these people aren’t seeing that Christ is the solution. They don’t need money – they need Christ. They don’t need to share their lunches, they need Christ. Christ is the solution to the problem. He is the Supernatural Jesus, after all.

So, we see in verse 10 what happens next:
“Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” v. 10-11

First thing that Jesus says: “Sit down.” – Many of you need to heed this word of Christ! Sit down! Stop striving, stop trying harder! Stop freaking out, running around like chicken’s with your heads cut off. Have you forgotten that you belong to God!

One of my favorite Christians is this guy I know that has a standard response to the question: “How are you doing?” – You know what he says – every time: “I’m stressed…” let me tell you, if your life is characterized by stress and anxiety, you need to sit down.

Psalms 46:10 reminds us to “Be still and know that I am God.”

I guarantee that half of your problems would be resolved in the next two weeks, if you’d just take one hour a day and enter into the stillness of God. Quiet your soul, stop letting your anxieties rule the house, and instead simply come into a place of stillness, calling upon the Lord to replace your worries with His peace.

It’s time for Christians to sit down.

Then Jesus takes what is before Him – five loaves, two fish. And he does some amazing. In the face of this extraordinary crowd, He gives His Father thanks for what is before Him. Jesus knows that this amount of food will not feed all in the crowd, but He has gratitude because someone will eat! God has demonstrated His provision in a small way and deserves to be thanked! In effect He says, “Father, you have been good to us, you have provided this food. What a wonder you are!”

It’s time for Christians to be grateful. We gripe, we complain, we moan. We say: “why me” – when what we need to be doing is saying: “Oh, how great you are! You provide for all of my needs! You are my strength, You are my hope, You are my provision. How I thank You that my sins have been forgiven, How I thank you that my name is in the book of life! How I thank you that You’ve put Your Holy Spirit within me! Oh, God, how I worship you! How I stand in awe of you!”

It’s time for Christians to be grateful for all that God has done for us, even if we somehow think we are lacking. You see, that isn’t for you to determine. God knows what you need, and He knows when to provide it. Your task is to sit down, be still and be thankful.

Now, here’s the miracle – verse 11: Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

Notice how the distribution took place: The disciples didn’t say: “Okay big guy, you can only have a little…” No – They gave them as ‘much as they wanted’. This was like the first ‘all you can eat buffet’.
Have you noticed that when food is free, you tend to take more than you might if you had to pay for it? These Galilean people took as MUCH as they wanted. There weren’t any limits placed upon them!

God has ALL that you need. The Bible says: “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” Psalms 34:10

The problem with us is that we get mixed up as to what we are to seek after. We think that we are to seek after ‘good things’ – money, possessions, security – when what God’s Word tells us to do is to “seek the Lord”.

Don’t seek provision – seek the Presence of the Lord!
Don’t seek miracles – seek the Presence of the Lord!

My brother is going through a major season of spiritual growth and change. He is an old dog learning new tricks. Like me, he spent most of his life being taught and believing that God doesn’t still speak, doesn’t do miracles, and doesn’t work in power like He did during Jesus’ day. But, God is changing the Love boys. This week, I received an email from Jeff that says:

This morning I spent a great deal of time seeking our Lord's face. In my meditation He once again revealed a word of knowledge concerning you and your current situation. You have sought after God in His secret place and He has blessed you with with His mighty Spirit, not because of anything you have done except to seek Him. God wants all of His sons and daughters to cross the threshold of a new door and enter into a new room, of seeing the return of the glory of the Lord. It is a new season, a new cycle, a fresh place with the Lord, where the body of Christ is beginning to move past its present experience and self-induced limitations, into new streams of the glory presence of God. Finding yourself in this new room can give you the confidence of the Spirits' great work. There are astounding signs, wonders, miracles, and powerful displays of the supernatural beginning to take place in the lives of those who seek God in a relational way. God has put His stamp of approval on them, as a fresh sign to the body of Christ of seed promised by His Holy Spirit. They will reveal realms of the glory, yet to be seen.
And you my brother are one of those who are in a new season of life, you will witness personally the wonders of God in a miraculous way. There is much work for those who have seen God face to face, for those who God has placed in position of relevance with others, you time of leading by example and experience has yet to come in fullness. Your role has yet to be completed in your journey, there are still many people who have yet to cross the threshold because you have yet to directed them.

When Beth read this, she stopped midway and said to me: “This is from YOUR brother?”

Spiritual growth and revelation happens out of our times of seeking the face of God. Provision happens from seeking the Lord. Miracles happen from seeking the Lord. We will lack no good thing!

Now, look at verse 12 – here’s the test of the miracle:
“When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” V. 12-13

Christ tells the disciples to gather up the leftovers. Why? To give testimony of the true nature of the miracle! “Let nothing be wasted.” Because the leftovers far outweighs what he began with! This miracle fed 5000 men, who were now sitting back in the afternoon sun, with the great feeling of a full belly! And the proof was in the 12 baskets of leftovers! This was a major miracle.

When Christ does a miracle in your life – when He has come up against your problem with a divine solution – “Let nothing be wasted.” Gather up the story – tell the story! Give God the glory! Let all around you know that you’ve been touched by the Supernatural Jesus! Open wide your mouth and tell all who will listen! Give testimony!

I received notification today of a conference being held next month in Korea. Listen to this:
More than 500 physicians from 20 countries are expected to gather to discuss how spirituality and medicine go together and to present medical data about the works of divine healing at the Third International Christian Medical Conference on June 1-2 at Grand Convention Center in Cebu City, the Philippines. The conference will seek to enhance believers' faith while emphasizing the fact that God is indeed the Healer. International delegates and some of the best in their medical fields will exchange notes on divine healing and present more than ten cases backed by medical data in which patients received healing by prayer.

This is the gathering of baskets. Let the Doctor’s come together and give evidence of the miracles God is doing around the world!

Why? So that more and more people can come to believe in this Supernatural Jesus. Look at verse 14:
“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” V. 14-15

The eyes are beginning to open. The people are coming to see that Jesus is indeed the Promised Messiah! They are so excited that they are about to stage a revolution and install Christ as King ‘by force’ – and while I’m sure that Jesus appreciated their faith and zeal, it wasn’t the time or the place for such a thing to occur.

Are your eyes beginning to open?

I want to make some affirmations of faith this morning:

Jesus, we believe that…
You have supernatural power over illness and disease!
You have supernatural power over creation!
You have supernatural power over sin and death!

Who needs the healing of the Lord today?