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As we finish out John chapter 6,
I love how we see so many different ways people respond to God and his blessings.
And in this crowd we also can see ourselves- In which of these groups are you?
Some were seeking:
John 6:22-29-
They were seeking, but for what reason?
They started seeking Christ, but moved to seeking their fill.
Christianity should not be our free pass to heavenly goodies.
And faith based on signs and not on the word, can lead a person astray
Yet how often does the excitement of our faith stop when we are not treated the way we want?
How often do we get the mindset, “What has God done for me lately”,
Or “what have I really been getting out of this?”
Look at Jesus’ teaching:
John 6:35-40
Our blessings come as we do his will.
Our blessing comes as we set aside our lives of worldly comfort, and depend on spiritual food
We are not here to get, but to give.
And this teaching brought about the second response we see from the crowd:
Some were murmuring-
John 6:41-51
Discontent, and unsatisfied… they focused on who he was, and not what he said.
He spoke as the man from heaven and they said, “Who is it”
Just like when God gave them bread from heaven they called it manna, which means, “what is it”
What is funny is, during the time they had manna they were grumblers too.
There is an interesting thing about manna-
It was the gift of God, given to a rebellious people
All they had to do was kneel down and pick it up- and if they failed to pick it up they walked on it.
It is the same thing with the bread of life
You either let it fill you, or you disgrace it
When we look at these people, we notice, their murmuring was on the same thing we often murmur about
#1- the teaching is too hard
and #2 who are you to correct me!
John 6:42
They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?
How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
Didn’t they just see the miracles?
The other accounts also say that during this time he sat and healed all the people…
But when it came to someone correcting them and their lives…
When it came to calling them to work…
The response became just like ours often is… (Scratch that… like MINE often is…)
Who are you to correct me?
Then we see the third response:
Still more were striving-. Causing strife- fighting and quarreling.
John 6:52-59-
God can’t do it.
How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Because it doesn’t make sense to me- I’m not buying into it!
And how often is this the attitude in the church?
My way or the highway- If it’s not my idea or I don’t like it, I’m just not participating!
This isn’t what I want to do… so I won’t.
God is sovereign? Bah!. This is my spiritual life and I’ll do what I want.
Which always leads to the last group:
At the end, almost all of them were departing-
John 6:60-66-
Things got tough and they left.
This was a hard teaching….
I kind of like Jesus’ response: John 6:61-63
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?
What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!
Yes, if we saw that, the hardness of this teaching wouldn’t matter so much would it?
You see, it is an issue of our faith.
All of my complaining, all of my neglect- what is it over?
Comfort, pride, laziness, bad priorities…
We all need to learn this lesson: The spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing!
It all comes down to the supremacy of God.
Do you believe?
Do you believe enough to kneel down and let the bread of life fill you?
Which person in the crowd are you?
John 6:67-69
Do you believe that today?
Are you willing to lay down your life, take the correction from his word-
And let God alone fill you?
It is not time to argue- to pass the buck- or to question the messenger
It is time for us to examine the truth and obey it.
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the feeding of the 5000.
For some reason, this miracle, the feeding of the 5,000, was a miracle of such magnitude
That it is included in all 4 Gospels.
As much as any other event in scripture, this miracle lets us see not only into the heart of Christ
But also into the heart of his disciples, and the heart of the crowd.
3 events took place with this crowd- He fed them, he left them, and he taught them
John 6:1-13-
The problem? 5,000 people needing to be fed, and no food in sight.
The Question? “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
The answer?…. Well, that is where it gets interesting…
Its funny that no one else thought of the needs of these people. Not even the people themselves
It is Jesus who looked to them and asked, “Where will we buy bread for these people to eat.”
4 Suggestions were given.
And as we look at them we get to see into our own hearts.
A. First the disciples suggested that Jesus send the people away.
Matt 14:15-16- How often is that our mindset?
Brush it under the carpet and hope it disappears.
This is not the role of the church, this is not the duty of each Christian and we have no authority to do it
“Send the people away” may be popular some times… BUT never with Jesus.
B. The second suggestion came from Philip. “Raise more money.”
In verse 7 we see that Philip estimated the cost and it was 200 days wages. (8 months)
Well, at least Philip was thinking.
Hey Jesus, lets take a collection… Can you relate to Philip?
Isn’t that our mindset, quite often? Take a collection, toss money at the problem.
Let’s look at problems and determine if we will help based on if we can afford it.
Instead of looking at problems and committing to help regardless of cost.
Yet how often is money really the answer when you get down to it?
We lack in evangelism- So, hire a preacher- support a missionary
We need to make an impact-
Well, maybe if we a flashier building, or nicer things...
Whenever we need to take responsibility, it is much easier to throw money at it- Or pay someone else to do it.
But Jesus’ response was- “You give them something to eat”
You do it- It is your responsibility
C. The third response came from Andrew. His response is both amazing and ridiculous.
John 6:9-
On one hand, this is ridiculous because who on earth would think so little could feed so many
On the other it is amazing because he had the faith to turn what he could do, over to Jesus
Which leads Jesus to the response that we need to learn to have:
D. The fourth solution came from Christ, and it was the proper solution
Take what you have, and then look to God.
The lesson is clear, whenever there is a need, give all that you have to Jesus and let him do the rest,
Begin with what you have, but be sure to give him your all.
Jesus can do a lot with a little… So, take what you have and make the most of it
And then do what Jesus did- Jesus gave thanks.
John 6:11-12-
The lesson for us is- Instead of complaining about what we do not have,
Give thanks for what you do have, and make the most of it
It can accomplish much in the hands of our God.
But then look what Jesus did next: He left the crowd-
John 6:15-21-
Why did he leave the crowd?
The Bible tells us that they were trying to force him into being King
But Jesus knew that their faith was turning into a crutch.
They wanted to make him king- but they were expecting free lunch
But Jesus left for another reason- He had a lesson for his disciples.
Mark 6:45-52
It was not only the crowd that was confused.
The disciples who just had their faith strengthened were now put to the test.
Jesus is not afraid to let us row ourselves into a storm to see what our faith will do
And he also is not afraid to leave us to our own decisions and wait for us on the other side
He knew faith had to be developed for them… and it is the same for us-
How do we do with our faith, when it is just us and God?
When the show is over and the miracles are done, and now it is our turn to respond?
How do we do when we are all alone and the waves are beating upon us?
Too often “the bread and the circus” is the method of many churches.
Big events, large bands, big shows, and big talk- But there is never the test.
Where is the growth without the test?
The disciples just saw Jesus do an amazing miracle, but what did they learn from it?
There comes a time when we need to look at God and make a decision of faith.
When we are not getting the gifts, when the free food is not pouring from the baskets
And our needs are not being filled to overflowing.
What do we do when we face that test?
That is the point where we show where our faith truly is.
And it is at that point that Jesus picks us up and tells us, “Ok now we will grow together from there”
Jesus will not leave us in the storm…
He calmed the storm, he comforted the disciples and then:
He taught the crowd-
We will finish JOHN 6 later in the week
BW
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Please read part one if you have not had the chance.
Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR, all of you.
Thank you so much for your input, your wisdom, and your friendship
BW
***** ******** *****
In the second half of JOHN 5, we look at the big controversy.
The healing wasn’t so much what ticked them off… The thing that really angered them was this:
John 5:17-18
They were mad, not so much about the miracle… they were mad that Jesus claimed to be united with God
That is an amazing claim-
But it came with proof. Jesus never denied it and he never argued it, he gave evidence
John 5:19-23-
He tells them here the same thing he repeated in John 10:30- “I and the Father are one." and this angered them terribly.
Yet this is a claim that we should be making too isn’t it?
Not that we ARE God, but that there is evidence in us, as to our unity with the father!
John 17:20-23-
When we claim our unity with God, look at the evidence Jesus offered
And ask yourself, what evidence would I offer to back my claim?
Evidence #1- I do what the father does
John 5:19.
Is this your resolve?
Whatever I see the father doing, I also will do
I will walk as Jesus did. I will call people from darkness to light
My life and ways and example are a testimony that I am from God.
How about:
Evidence #2- I live life to the full-
John 5:24-26-
Is our life, a witness to the life of Christ?
New priorities, a new witness- a life filled with joy and passion- adventure and conviction
The confidence that shows God is in me and I am in him- and that he has given me POWER!
And then he gave
Evidence #3- The evidence of truth
John 5:27-30-
How do we do at viewing people and things in the light of truth?
Do I stand up for it? Is the word of God my only standard?
Do I realize both the goal and the reward of faith?
The confidence to stand up for truth- and the wisdom to spread it to others with grace, and power
Also gives evidence that we are from God.
But for Jesus- His claim came not only with evidences but with witnesses-
As we keep on reading, Jesus makes it clear that he does not make this claim alone
It is on the testimony of witnesses he can prove he is God.
First was John the Baptist:
John 5:31-35-
People knew that John was a prophet from God- And John gave his testimony clearly in
John 1:14-16-
And yet the religious refused his testimony, not because of the evidence
But because it did not fit in with their own will and traditions
Matt 21:23-27-
So Jesus gave them more witnesses-
#2 was the miracles themselves
John 5:36-38-
Jesus claimed that his power and works made it clear who he was.
He was doing the work of the father
And this is our witness too
John 15:8
This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
And so, Finally Jesus brings out:
#3 The witness of God and his word
This is the final witness because this is the judge that looks at men’s hearts.
John 5:39-47
But this witness too was rejected by them
How often does this too apply to us:
The Jewish scribes tried so hard to know the word of God,
That they neglected to see the God of the Word.
They counted the very letters of the text, but missed the spiritual truths they contained.
Like many today, they made up their own rules
And became so enslaved by what we “did or did not have authority to do”, that they did nothing.
When Jesus pointed this out, he said that their problem came down to one thing:
Lack of love
John 5:41-42
"I do not accept praise from men, but I know you.
I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts
Their attitude toward the word hindered their faith and so did their attitude toward each other.
They were so concerned with being honored by men,
That they did not seek the honor that comes from God
The knew the truth, they knew the importance of salvation- They knew just like we do-
But they didn’t care enough to look past this world and look past how they would Look,
And then stand up for truth.
And the very scriptures that they used to justify their beliefs testified against them
On what is our faith based?
Do we have evidence of it? Is there a witness to our belief?
Are we permitting religious tradition (what we have always done) to blind us to the word of God?
Are we refusing to follow the truth because of what people may think or do?
Are we so involved in trying to be seen as religious that we fail to see Christ in this world?
We can not go on living for mere pleasure, or status,
Nor can we go on living for the world or its comforts
We must be convinced of the reality of the witness of God and the certainty of who he is
The Life, truth, and miracles of God, that cause us to desire to please him only
What we must ask ourselves is:
Does my religion give me a big head, or a burning heart?
We must learn to respond to the love of God.
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HERE is the first part of JOHN 5.
Happy reading!
Again, I appreciate so much, your comments and thoughts on this-
I hope we can start to get more discussion on how these things challenge us personally.
***** ******** *****
As we move into John chapter 5, Jesus’ ministry goes from one of a more private nature with his disciples
To one of a public nature involving conflict with the Pharisees.
The miracle we see in John 5 was not only public-
It was done on the Sabbath, and incited the opposition of the religious elite.
John 5:1-15-
Here we find a man who was an invalid for 38 years.
38 years of suffering- 38 years of not being able to live life to the full.
Yet Jesus asked him the question he asks us- “Do you want to get well?”
It seems like a silly question until you make it personal.
What about our lives, and the sin that causes us to suffer?
What about the lack of a Christ-like life that causes us to not live life to the full
How many times have we heard the invitation to get well and decided, “well, now is not the time.”
I Mean, if Jesus wants to just “POOF” and make me holy I’m all for it
But if it takes sacrifice and effort- If I have to do something….
Well, I need to decide how important this really is to me.
Jesus didn’t just wave his hand over this man, he too needed to do something.
John 5:8
Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
I need to commend this man for his ambition.
He could have just as easily said, "Pick up my mat? That is too hard!"
It’s too much, too soon! “Will work for food Jesus!” I didn’t want a job, I wanted a handout!
But he didn’t- He picked up his mat and walked.
What do we say, when Jesus tells us what we need to do to be well?
Maybe even after 38 years of us doing things our own way?
There is a lesson there for us-
And I believe there was a lesson there for the Jews too
The first two miracles we saw so far, were private in nature- but this one was public
I wonder if he did it to prove a point?
Jesus always made a lesson from what was there- and it may have been the case here as well-
38 years the man was ill- maybe Jesus saw in him a chance to speak to his own people
Could he have remembered Deut 2: 13-15-
Was he reminding his people about the time in the dessert?
Was he making this miracle public to tell his people, you have been spiritually sick too long,
The great physician is here?
But Just as strange- look at verse 13-
After healing this man, what did Jesus do?… it says that Jesus slipped away.
All of the people gathered by this pool, yet he did not heal any others, why just this one?
And why slip away?
I believe Jesus was letting the people of Israel see this and was waiting for a response
Just like was he waiting for a response from this man.
Because something else was strange about this healing-
Look at John 5:12-13 again.
This man was not healed due to faith- He didn’t know who Jesus was.
But he responded IN faith- He responded due to what God did for him First!
And every indication we have is that he did respond.
In verse 14 we find him at the temple- and look at Jesus’ words
Stop sinning or something worse will happen-
Worse than 38 years as an invalid?
Jesus put sin into a whole new perspective with this guy.
I wonder how many of us appreciate our cleansing like this man did.
Do we realize what an amazing miracle we have been given?
We have been set free from something far greater than physical troubles
And Jesus tells this man the same thing he tells us-
What is important is that you are cleansed from your sin
And the man’s response is the exact same as we saw of those in chapter 4
The same as ours should be
John 5:15
The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
He told the good news of what God had done for him
And so should we.
But that always leads to The controversy-
John 5:16-18-
Jesus was a controversial figure-
He deliberately challenged the legal traditions of the scribes and Pharisees.
WHY?
Because they had taken the Sabbath- God’s gift to man
And transformed it into a prison house of regulations and restrictions.
Matt 15:7-9
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
"'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"
Don’t many today do the same thing?
These guys saw a miracle and they spent their time arguing about if it was done on the proper day-
Oblivious to the fact that the one who can bring life is the one who created the Sabbath.
And just like them- we have been saved from sin and death-
But instead of rejoicing and filling our area with the good news about Jesus, who saved us-
Too many churches have become known as a people who argue musical instruments, how many cups, building usage, and what the Greek word means.
People who as Jesus later says in verses 39-40
Diligently study the Scriptures because we think that by them we possess eternal life.
yet refuse to come to him to have life.
I choose to be someone who gives life!
How about you?
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I hope all of you have a very very merry Christmas.
I hope you all recieve the richest of Christ's blessings over the holidays...
I'm glad I have gotten to know you.
It is good to have family in the faith.
*********** ******* **************
As we keep reading in John 4- we find that there was a lesson here for the disciples too!
John 4:27-38-
The disciples returned from the town not daring to question the master.
Even though he was talking to a woman.
They had other things on their mind… the food.
But Jesus was to teach them a few things about true nourishment
And expose a little bit about their hearts in the process.
His words were, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."
And he explained to them that doing the Father’s will- in this case leading this woman to salvation
Was true nourishment for his soul.
How many of us view doing God’s will in this light?
And how many of us when it comes to making the effort to save souls have been on a starvation diet?
For the disciples, food and comfort were their big concern all day.
Did you ever think where they went to get their food?
Verse 8 tells us they went into the town nearby.
And where was it that the woman went with her message?
Verse 28 says she went to the same town.
Isn’t it odd that Jesus’ disciples…
men who were selected for the sole purpose and mission of testifying to the will of God and proclaiming his kingdom...
They came back from town with food.
Yet this one woman went with the bread of life and brought back the whole town?
I wonder how many of us are just like they were...
Spending so many of our days and so much of our time concerned about our own needs and wants
That we miss the whole point about life to the full.
The harvest was ready, God only needed faithful workers to claim it.
John 4:39-42-
Look at the impact of a person excited about God’s work in their life!
Many of the Samaritans believed!
And with this crowd we see the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus
John 15:1-5-
The Samaritan woman bore fruit, as many believed (verse 39)
She bore more fruit as many more believed (verse 41)
And even today continues to bear much fruit though her life and actions…
When the purpose of your life is to share with joy what God has done for you,
Amazing things happen.
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