Matt Hagee - When Everything You've Got Isn't Enough... He Is
We continue in the sermon series "The God of Miracles" with this message "When Everything You've Got Isn't Enough". Anybody ever been there? When everything you've got isn't enough, he is.
John 6 records: "After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And then a great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. And then Jesus lifted up his eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming towards him, he said to Philip, 'where shall we buy bread, that these may eat'? But this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, 'two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little'. 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'"?
Heavenly Father, today, I ask that your Holy Spirit anoint the hearts and minds of those who are hearing your living word, to understand that you are an all-sufficient God who is more than enough: that when we do not have sufficiency for our needs, you are all that we need. Lord, I ask that you would give us faith to believe is still pouring out blessings that we cannot contain. In Jesus' name, we pray and say, amen.
You may be seated. The miracle of the feeding of 5,000, the five loaves and two fish, is a picture of God's power to provide. All four gospels agree that there were 5,000 men there. Some of the gospels say that it was plus women and children. Of course, it was plus women and children, because it was during the time of the Passover, and families were making a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem from all over the region. Bible historians suggest that there were between 15 and 20,000 people in attendance at this one event.
Now understand that the area around the Sea of Galilee, if you took all of the cities that were there and you added up their civilization and their population, you'd have about 40,000 people. But because it's the Passover, there's a lot of people from out of town in town. And right now, about half of them are with Jesus. Jesus was with his disciples up on the mountain. And this crowd going towards Jerusalem found them. When the crowd found Christ, he was moved with compassion. And as he saw them coming his way, he began to teach them, and he began to touch them, and he began to pray for them. And it stayed going on and on and on until it was late. And then Jesus does something that catches the disciples by surprise. He asks a question. "Where can we find bread, that all of these people may eat"?
In John's gospel, he asks this question to Philip. Why? Because Philip was from Bethsaida. Luke 9:10 says the area that they were gathered belonged to Bethsaida. John 12 says Philip was from Bethsaida. So here's how the conversation went. Jesus looks at this multitude of people and he says, "Hey Phil, we're in your neighborhood. Who's got the best tacos"? And Philip freaks out. But the Bible says that Jesus asked Philip this question to test him, because he knew what he would do. Don't you ever get worried when Jesus asks you a question. He's not looking for the answer. He's all-knowing. He's already God the answer. How do you know he's got the answer? Because he is the answer.
John 1:3, "All things were made through him, without him nothing was made that was made". That means that when Jesus wants to bless somebody, he already knows where the blessing is coming from. When Jesus wants to do something, he already knows how it's going to be done. When Jesus asks you to be a part of it, he's sending you an invitation to see if you have enough faith to trust in him. It's a test. He's testing you to see if you'll apply what you've learned from his word. He wants to know if you understand where all of your blessings come from, because every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord. He's trying to find out from Philip: have you understood the supernatural power of the kingdom that you're a part of or are you going to continue to face problems in your natural strength? It's a test. Jesus gave us the answer to the test. He gave it to us in Mark when he said these words, "Have faith in God". Say that with me: "Have faith in God". "All things are possible to those who believe," that's what Jesus said whenever he told us to have faith in God.
Philip hears this question. It's a supernatural question. If he answers it supernaturally, he lives above the circumstances. But because he answers it in his natural mind, he lives beneath the circumstances. As long as you live your life in your natural mind, you're always going to be under the circumstances. When you start to live it in the supernatural power of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, suddenly you become the head and not the tail, you become above and not beneath. You find out what it means to be more than a conqueror through Christ. Natural reasoning never produces a supernatural outcome. Jesus asked Philip, "Where can we find bread"? In verse 7, Philip says, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for every one of them just to have a little".
In John 6, the conversation is just between Jesus and Philip. But when you read the other gospels, all 12 disciples were involved. Mark 6, it says that his disciples came to him, and they said to him, "Send them away". Isn't that just like some churches? Just about the time new people start to show up, you say, "Send them away". Now they said it in a very kind way. "Send them away that they may go and buy bread for themselves". In Mark 6, Jesus looked back at the disciples and said, "You feed them". All 12 were pointing to a natural problem and they wanted to provide a natural solution. They said, "Hey Jesus, if you'll just tell them, 'raise your hand for the blessing,' this will be over and they can go have brunch". In John 6, Philip gives a number, "Two hundred denarii". That's six month's worth of wages. He says, we've got half a year's worth of money and we still can't afford dinner on the grounds.
Now how do you know all of the disciples were involved? Philip doesn't hold the money bag: Judas does. So when Jesus asked Philip, "Where can we buy bread"? Philip runs to Judas. He says, "Hey Judie, I was just in the boss's office and he wants to have kind of like a big banquet sort of thing. How much money we got"? Judas goes, "Two hundred denarii". Philip runs back and says, "Yeah, sorry. We're going to have to put that before the elders for a vote for next year's budget, because that's just not going to happen". The problem is Philip is answering the wrong question. Jesus is asking about bread, and Philip is talking about money. How often are we invited to participate in the supernatural outpouring of God's power, and immediately, we use our natural reasoning to talk ourselves out of a miracle?
The Lord asks you to do something for him. You feel compelled that the Lord wants you to serve in church, and as soon as you have that feeling, you know the Holy Spirit is inviting you into a miracle moment. And suddenly you come back with your natural answer, "Well, well, I'm sorry. I would, sir, but I just don't have any free time. I mean, between my work, and my kids, and my sports tournaments on Sunday that keep me out of church, there's just not a lot of time for me to be involved". Until you get over your natural reasons why it can't be done, you're never going see all that God can do when you're willing to trust in him. And this is where we come to the picture of perfect faith. I choose John 6 to tell this story today because John is the only writer who tells us where the food came from. In verse 9, it says, "There is a lad". Say that with me. "There is a lad". In every other gospel, it leaves the boy out probably because the disciples were fighting over who found his lunch. But John says, "There is a lad". Andrew brings it up. He says, "He has five barley loaves and two small fish".
Now picture this in your mind. In the midst of all of this commotion of the Passover season, thousands of people making their Pilgrimage nine miles away from the city of Bethsaida, in all of this noise and chaos, there's one child who is willing to walk with that crowd and push through all that is being talked about, and get around all of the noise and all of the drama just so he can work his way close enough to Jesus so that he can hear what the master wants. How close are you to Jesus? Are you close enough that you can hear what he's asking for? Or has the crowd and all of its distractions kept you from pressing in and finding him? You see in a multitude of people, there's a lot of folks who know what they want from Jesus. But only those who are close to Jesus know what Jesus wants from you.
Are you willing to push through the opinions and the noise of others just to get close to him? When other people tell you, "Oh, you spend too much time down there at that church," are you willing to mute that noise in your life just so you can stay close to him? Are you willing to go out of your way? This boy walks nine miles just so he could get right up next to Jesus. And some people won't drive across the street when it rains. Are you willing to get close to him even if no one goes with you? Notice that Andrew did not say, "This boy and his parents and his aunt and his uncle". He just said, "There's a lad here". For all we know, he was by himself. How many people come to church and no one in their family joins them, no father, no mother, no brother, no sister? Are you willing to say, "I have decided to follow Jesus"? "Though none go with me, still I will follow".
This young boy was close enough to Christ that when Christ turned to Philip and said, "Where can we find bread"? His heart leapt because he said, "I may not have much but I got bread. And I don't know if it can help you, Jesus, but you can have all that I got. It's yours". My grandmother, pastor's mother, used to make a statement. "Son, if you want to be successful in life, find out what God wants to do, and then do that". And as simple as that sounds, trust me, it ain't easy. Find out what God wants to do? The only way you can find out what God wants to do is get close to him. Hear what he has to say, and then when he says it, do it. This young boy was glad to give his lunch. It's the picture of perfect faith. It's the small miracle that leads to 20,000 other miracles.
How do you know it was a miracle? Because any time a kid is willing to let go of his lunch without a fight, God's moving. Five barley loaves, poor man's bread. Barley is not what you make bread out of. You make bread out of wheat, wheat that is ground into flour. Barley is grain. In the Old Testament, the owners of a field, who had the opportunity to plant, were not allowed to harvest the corners. They left that for the poor and for the widows. And the poor and the widows could go into the corners of the field and they could get what they needed to eat. It was work fair, not welfare, which is probably a better idea than what we're doing. Andrew's saying, "We've got poor bread and small fish". You need to know that if you're going see God's extraordinary abundance in your life and you're going to cheerfully give to him, you're going to have to get over the opinions that others say about whatever you bring to Jesus.
When they tell you you're not enough, you remind them he's more than enough. You're never going to bring enough in the eyes of some. You're never going to have enough in the minds of others. You're never going to do enough to satisfy certain people. But you need to remember, those people are not your provider. Those people are not your redeemer. Those people are not your answer. You bring what you have to Jesus and he'll take not enough and he'll make it more than enough for you and all those around you. Jesus looks into the sack lunch. He sees five loaves and two fish, and he gives a command. It's the picture of the church. He tells the disciples, "Have the people sit down," John 6:10. And the latter half of the verse says, "So the men sat down".
Now no words are lost in scripture. Why was it important to point out that the men sat down? First, let's look at the natural situation, fifteen to twenty thousand people. The Bible says there's much grass there. That is an understatement. Fifteen to twenty thousand people, giving them each a radius of 13-square feet, which would be to take your arms and extend them and turn one full rotation. That gives you enough space and other people enough space to be seated next to each other. If you do that 15,000 times, it took six acres of grass for these people to have a picnic. That's a big venue. Where are all of the waiters going to come from? The men were intended to serve their families what Jesus provided. This is a picture of the church. Why? Because the Bible says that the Lord is the head of the church. Jesus is the head of the church.
Ephesians 5:23, "Christ is the head of the church". Say that with me. "Christ is the head of the church". And then it says, "The husband is the head of the wife". How is your family supposed to be blessed? When the husband provides to the family what Jesus is pouring out from the throne. Verse 25 in Ephesians, "Husbands, love your wives and give yourself to her as Christ gave himself to the church". Men, until you are seated in the proper position underneath the authority of Jesus Christ, your wife and your children cannot receive the miracle that God wants to provide. God is a God of order and not chaos. Paul said to the New Testament church in 1 Corinthians 14, "Let all things be done decently and in order".
If you go to a church that's so chaotic and confusing that you can't even figure it out for yourself, God is not in that. In order for your family to receive the supernatural provision of heaven, you've got to get in proper alignment with God's plan. If God says, "Be seated," sit down, and then make sure your family sits with you. If God says, "Hide his word in your heart," you do that, and then you teach your family how to do the same. If God says, "Keep my commandments," then you make sure that you do that and you tell your children how to do the same. Look at Deuteronomy 28. What does it say? "If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord and obey his commandments, all of these blessings shall overtake you". He said, "Blessed shall you be in the city".
Why are our cities in the United States so far out of order and in chaos? Because men are not in the proper position. "Blessed shall you be in the produce of your ground". That's your economy. Why is our economy so far out of order? Because men have put themselves out of position to receive from the God who said, "I will give you the power to get wealth". He said, "When your enemies rise against you," in Deuteronomy 28, "Your enemies will be defeated before your face". Why are our enemies running loose all over the face of the earth today and laughing in our face? Because the men that God created and commissioned to be a prophet and to be a priest in their home, in their church, in their community, they are out of position! Jesus takes the five loaves and the two fish, and he tells the men, "Sit down". Get in position to receive. And then supernatural multiplication occurs.
It says very clearly, "And when he had given thanks". He was thankful for what was not enough. Mark 6:41 says that he looked up to heaven. Why? Because he wanted everyone to know who he was talking to. He said, "Father, I thank you. I thank you for five pieces of poor man's bread. And I thank you for two small fish that have been given so cheerfully and so faithfully that you and I together can take it and break it and multiply it 20,000 times over". He was thankful in all things. Until you can be thankful for what's not enough, you're never going to see God give you more than enough. The Bible said, "Be thankful in all things". It didn't say, "Be thankful for all things". You can be thankful in a season of sickness, because God is still a healer. You can be thankful in a time of need, because God is still a provider. You can be thankful in any moment of life that you encounter, because God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly, above all that you could ask, think, or imagine.
So in everything, give thanks. The Bible says, "Jesus blessed it and then he broke it". And what you need to remember is that some of the most blessed things in your life are going to be some of the most broken things. Oh, how we ask God to increase us. Bless us, Lord. Bless my business. Bless my family. Bless my home. Bless my life. And the second that you start asking him to bless stuff, he starts breaking stuff. Stop! He can't increase it until he breaks it. Why? Because if he leaves it like it is, you'll tell yourself you did it. Look what I did with this business. No. It wasn't until he broke your business and he started to multiply your business that you saw his provision coming. Look how we fixed our marriage. No. It wasn't until he broke your marriage that you saw his hand of grace and mercy fix your marriage and enable you to do what no one said you could do. It's not until he starts breaking things in your life that he starts to multiply things in your life.
So don't ask him for the blessing and not expect the breaking, because when he blesses it and he breaks it, then he multiplies it. You see, we had a count. There were five loaves and two fish. But when he starts breaking it, we start losing count. How fast did it multiply? Where did it come from? How did it get distributed? We don't get any of those details. What we know is the outcome. Twenty thousand people ate until they couldn't eat anymore. It didn't say they all got two pieces of this and one piece of that. It says, "They ate to the full".
Oh, how I wish God would move in such a way in this sanctuary that whenever you left here, you would say, "I'm just so full. I just don't think I could take anymore of him in. I'm just so satisfied in my heart, in my soul, in my mind, in my body. I just don't think I can handle anymore. I'm just about to bust with what he's done". And then there were twelve baskets full. Why 12 baskets? Many people say, "Well, it was for the boy". The Bible doesn't say that. I believe there were 12 baskets, one for each disciple, because Jesus was telling them, "If you'll stop trying to solve your problem with your thoughts and start trusting me and my ways, you're never, ever going to run out. Because when you're not enough, when all that you've got is not enough, i, i, I'm more than enough".
Would you stand to your feet in this place today? I want to ask you a question. What are the fish and what are the loaves in your hands? What things in your life are not enough, and yet, you know that if you gave it to Jesus, he'll bless it, he'll break it, and he'll increase it? How many of you believe he can do that? Let's pray:
Father, today in this place, you've given us the word. Your Holy Spirit is here and present and able. So I'm asking you, as people bring their needs, as people bring their burdens, as people bring the circumstances and situations of their life, supernaturally take them from beneath to above, from all that they have to all that they need, based on the God who has promised to supply. We receive this, in Jesus' name, in faith believing. Amen.