SERMON NOTES
How Many Loaves Do You Have? | Questions Jesus Asked | Week 9
Pastor Greg Carr
- John 6:1-6
- God always has the answer before the question is ever asked.
- John 6:7-9
- What we bring and what we have to offer is insufficient.
- Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23
- Miracles always start with a mess.
- John 6:10-13; 5
- We need to turn our “me” problems into “we” problems.
- 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 11:29; Zechariah 4:6; John 15:5
- When we allow Jesus to be a part of the equation, our “not enough” becomes “more than enough”.
- Mark 8:1-5
- God chooses to use what we bring him even though it’s inadequate and insufficient.
- Mark 8:17-21
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Has there been a time in your life when God provided a miracle in the middle of a mess? Take a minute to reflect on that moment and worship God for how he revealed himself in that situation.
- Compare and contrast the miracles of John 6 and Mark 8. What do you see Jesus do? How do you see the disciples react and respond?
- How will you turn your “not enough” into “more than enough” through Jesus? What current problem do you need to allow Jesus into?
- Reread Zechariah 4:6. How will you refuse the temptation to operate out of your own might and power today? How can you tangibly live by the Spirit today?
SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON
“Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.’”
Zechariah 4:6 ESV
“In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, [Jesus] called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.’”
Mark 8:1-2 ESV
RESOURCES
Article | “3 Things You Should Know about Mark’s Gospel” by Brandon Crowe and Ligonier Ministries
“Mark does not only present Jesus’ death as a unique, substitutionary atonement. He also presents it as a model for discipleship.”
Article | “How to Have the Mind of Christ” by Sinclar Ferguson and Crossway Ministries
“Perhaps you have seen this, or even been this—someone who has lost himself in an effort to possess what another has … what is missing is the foot-washing disposition that comes from humility and love.”
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TO TRY
This week, explore the spiritual practice of celebration. You probably didn’t even know that’s a spiritual discipline!
Dallas Willard speaks of this practice like this: “We engage in celebration when we enjoy ourselves, our life, our world, in conjunction with our faith and confidence in God’s greatness, beauty, and goodness. We concentrate on our life and world as God’s work and as God’s gift to us.”
Worship God through celebrating this week. As we looked at two miracles in the Gospels, thank God for the miracles he’s done in your life. Slow down and enjoy dinner with your spouse. Enjoy a sunset with your child. Share a meal with a neighbor and see what good God is doing in someone else’s life. Practice seeing the joy of God’s world around you and celebrate it this week!
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Before Jesus does anything in Mark 8, I noticed that he stop, observes, and experiences emotions before he acts. We don’t have a record of anyone complaining or asking for food. Jesus is aware of the needs of his people before they begin to voice their need. He’s able to stop, understand their need, and be filled with compassion for them. After all of that, he then looks to a solution.
He gives us a beautiful leadership moment here as well. He then calls his disciples over and explains what he’s feeling: “I have compassion on the crowd.” He explains the situation to them: “They’ve been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If we send them home, they’ll faint. Some of their homes are really far away.” He was so aware of the people that he even knew where they lived and that some of them came from far away!
But then he involves his disciples in the problem. He teaches them to connect emotionally, to really understand people, and then teaches them that it’s also their responsibility to do something once they’ve seen the need. And our big question comes in, “How many loaves do you have?”
So this week, ask the Holy Spirit to empower you with eyes to see and ears to hear. That you would be highly attuned to the needs of those around you and that you would start with compassion. We then lead ourselves and those around us to action. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, you are a leader and you get to involve your children in the solution. If you’re a CEO, you are a leader and you get to involve your staff in the solution. If you’re a student, you are a leader and you get to involve your friends in the solution. Stop, feel, know the need, and act in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
Lydia Long