Authority Over Scarcity

0:00 · It'd be easier if I don't try to help fix your issues

0:02 · because I'm too broken, but Jesus uses the broken disciples.

0:06 · And he says, I'm going to bring my church,

0:10 · my gospel through you.

0:12 · He says, you feed them.

0:14 · The disciples knew they didn't have enough.

0:17 · Jesus didn't care about the reservations

0:19 · of their inconvenience.

0:20 · He cared about the people, the crowd that was there.

0:23 · The first move of every miracle is his mercy.

0:26 · And when he moves,

0:28 · he often moves through ordinary people like me

0:30 · and like you who are willing

0:33 · to hand over the little they have.

0:38 · So we are glad that you're here in this time

0:40 · where we just get to dive into God's word

0:43 · and see what he has for us.

0:45 · And I want to encourage you, if you have a Bible,

0:47 · go ahead and grab it and open it up

0:49 · to Matthew chapter 14.

0:51 · Matthew chapter 14, and we're going to be starting

0:53 · in verse 13 in a second.

0:56 · And today we're going to spend the majority

0:58 · of our time here planted in this passage,

1:01 · but it's also going to kind of launch us

1:03 · into John chapter six,

1:05 · and eventually we'll end at John chapter 14.

1:08 · But as we dive into this text,

1:10 · we're going to see this topic that naturally comes out

1:13 · is do we have enough?

1:16 · You know, that's a question

1:17 · that I spent all last week asking

1:20 · because school ended and in the Bailey households,

1:24 · we have four kids in our house

1:27 · and two of them who have been in school

1:29 · now all of a sudden are in our house the whole time.

1:34 · And the question me and my wife is, do we have enough?

1:37 · We do not have enough food.

1:38 · We go to Costco a lot.

1:40 · I think we're going to have to go to Costco

1:41 · twice a week and the food just never ends.

1:44 · And then I'm like, do we have enough food?

1:46 · The question is no.

1:47 · Do we have enough money to buy all this food

1:49 · that they keep on eating?

1:53 · Nobody financially prepares you

1:54 · for the berry stage of kids' lives, like little kids.

1:58 · Like my wife's like, I bought blueberries.

2:00 · I was like, how much were they?

2:01 · They were like, $8.

2:01 · I was like, $8 for blueberries?

2:03 · She was like, it was at Sam's Club, it was fine.

2:05 · I'm like, they like it.

2:07 · I'm like, well, tell them to like a different fruit.

2:11 · Find a neighbor who we can steal it off their tree.

2:16 · But as I'm walking around my house,

2:18 · I'm like, do we have enough?

2:20 · Do we have enough?

2:22 · And today when we come to our passage,

2:24 · we ask the question, do we have enough?

2:27 · And Jesus answers it.

2:29 · Because today as we come to Matthew chapter 14,

2:33 · starting in verse 13,

2:34 · we're going to see that Jesus addresses

2:37 · this issue of scarcity.

2:40 · Now if you've been with us through this series,

2:42 · we've been going through the miracles of Christ.

2:44 · And he's addressed storms and demons and sin

2:48 · and darkness and death.

2:50 · And you're like, scarcity?

2:52 · Like, I don't know if that's on the same level

2:55 · as the rest, but scarcity is something

2:58 · all of us must face.

3:01 · Scarcity is the voice that whispers

3:03 · that there is not enough.

3:06 · That there is not enough money.

3:08 · Can I get an amen on that?

3:11 · There is not enough time.

3:12 · Can I get a bigger amen on that?

3:15 · That there is not enough margin in your life.

3:17 · That there is not enough sleep.

3:19 · I have four kids, nine and under.

3:22 · There is not enough sleep.

3:26 · There is not enough patience

3:29 · to deal with the problems of your day,

3:31 · to deal with the kids in your life,

3:33 · the job you are doing.

3:35 · There is not enough years

3:38 · to maybe accomplish and do all that you wish

3:42 · you could do.

3:43 · There is not enough of you to go around.

3:48 · You see, I don't think I have to convince anyone

3:50 · in this room that scarcity is a very real thing.

3:54 · That you woke up this morning aware

3:56 · that in some area of your life,

3:58 · you do not have enough.

4:00 · In some area, there is something missing.

4:03 · Maybe the bill that you can't pay,

4:05 · the child that you can't reach,

4:07 · the marriage you can't heal on your own,

4:09 · the diagnosis that you cannot heal,

4:11 · the hope that you cannot quite muster anymore.

4:17 · And the question this text is asking

4:20 · is the question I want us to wrestle with this morning

4:23 · is what does Jesus do when we don't have enough?

4:29 · So if you read with me in Matthew chapter 14,

4:32 · starting in verse 13, it says this,

4:34 · that when Jesus heard about it,

4:36 · he withdrew from there by boat

4:39 · to a remote place to be alone.

4:41 · When the crowds heard this,

4:42 · they followed him on foot from the towns.

4:45 · When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd.

4:48 · He had compassion on them,

4:50 · and he healed their sick.

4:52 · When evening came, the disciples approached him,

4:55 · and they said, this place is deserted

4:56 · and is already late, send the crowds away

5:00 · so that they can go into the villages

5:02 · and buy food for themselves.

5:04 · You don't need to go away.

5:05 · Jesus told them, you give them something to eat.

5:09 · Verse 17, but we only have five loaves and two fish.

5:13 · The disciples replied to him,

5:14 · bring them here to me, Jesus said.

5:18 · Then he commanded the crowds to sit on the grass.

5:21 · He took the five loaves and the two fish,

5:23 · looking up to heaven, he blessed them.

5:25 · He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples,

5:28 · and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

5:31 · Everyone ate and was satisfied.

5:34 · They picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces.

5:38 · Now, those who ate were about 5,000 men

5:41 · besides women and children.

5:44 · Let's pray to our Father as we start this study.

5:47 · Dear Lord, I thank you.

5:50 · God, I thank you that as we come to this passage

5:53 · where we wrestle with what is enough,

5:55 · Lord, you answer it for us in yourself.

5:59 · God, I just thank you for all

6:00 · who have gathered here today.

6:01 · I thank you for this Memorial Day holiday

6:03 · where we reflect on maybe those who we have lost,

6:07 · maybe those who have paid a sacrifice

6:08 · and they're still hurt in our families

6:10 · and in our friendships of those

6:13 · who have paid great prices.

6:14 · Lord, let us remember them, let us honor them,

6:17 · and ultimately let us worship you

6:20 · as the God over everything.

6:22 · Lord, we just thank you for this time,

6:25 · and we ask that your presence be in this place.

6:28 · And with all this up in Jesus' name, amen.

6:33 · As we dive into this passage,

6:36 · we need a little context as we start in at verse 13

6:40 · because right away it says when Jesus heard about it,

6:43 · so we have to ask, what did Jesus hear?

6:47 · Well, what immediately precedes this

6:49 · is Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist,

6:52 · had been arrested and he had been killed

6:55 · and beheaded by the queen

6:58 · and these wicked people around him.

7:01 · And when news of his cousin, his friend,

7:04 · the one who baptized him,

7:05 · the one who was the next coming of Elijah

7:08 · who had foretold that he was coming,

7:10 · when news of John's death

7:12 · had reached the ears of Jesus,

7:14 · we dive into this scene.

7:17 · And in verse 13 it says when he heard about it,

7:19 · this trigger word here,

7:21 · he hears the news and Jesus withdraws.

7:25 · He's grieving.

7:26 · He's heading for solitude.

7:28 · He gets in a boat to be alone

7:32 · but the crowd finds him.

7:35 · And what we see happen next in this story

7:37 · is really just preaches straight to us

7:40 · and I think as we start this,

7:42 · the feeding of the 5,000,

7:44 · this miracle that we're gonna unpack,

7:46 · it shows us two things.

7:48 · And the first thing it shows us,

7:50 · it shows us compassion for our hurts.

7:54 · As we said, Jesus has just gotten the worst news

7:57 · of his earthly life.

7:59 · He crossed the lake to be alone.

8:02 · You know when you try to go somewhere alone

8:04 · and people follow you?

8:06 · If you got little kids in your house,

8:07 · you try to go to the bathroom alone

8:08 · and they follow you.

8:11 · Maybe you've been married for a long time

8:12 · and you try to go to the bathroom alone

8:13 · and your spouse follows you.

8:15 · You're gonna be like, can you leave?

8:16 · Go away, far away,

8:18 · on the other side of the house, okay?

8:19 · And Jesus was just like looking

8:21 · for a quiet place to grieve.

8:23 · And this was before,

8:24 · there was restrooms with shut doors

8:25 · and then you could just be in

8:26 · and then scroll on your phone for an hour.

8:29 · Which gets you hemorrhoids.

8:30 · And that's, I'm sorry.

8:35 · That is not in my notes.

8:36 · Why did I say that?

8:41 · What are we talking about?

8:44 · This gets away from me quick.

8:46 · Don't listen to the voices in your head.

8:47 · Anyway, so Jesus goes to be alone

8:52 · and he gets in this boat and hits land

8:55 · and then he's greeted by thousands of people.

8:58 · It says is that right in verse 14,

9:00 · it says as he stepped ashore,

9:01 · he saw a large crowd.

9:03 · Can you just picture this for a second?

9:05 · That Jesus going to be by himself,

9:07 · to be alone,

9:08 · he steps offshore and he steps there

9:11 · and he sees this huge crowd.

9:13 · If I am Jesus in this standpoint,

9:16 · I'm slipping out the back door.

9:19 · I'm trying to disappear.

9:20 · I'm done.

9:21 · I have nothing left to give.

9:24 · But that's not what Jesus does

9:25 · and this is the beautiful thing over and over again.

9:27 · When we look in the gospels

9:29 · and we see Jesus be like,

9:29 · I would do this,

9:30 · Jesus usually does the opposite.

9:32 · Why?

9:32 · Because he is God.

9:34 · And here's what it says

9:35 · when he saw the large crowd in verse 14,

9:38 · he had compassion on them.

9:44 · The Greek word for this word compassion

9:49 · is splachensisimo

9:50 · or it's even harder to say than that.

9:51 · I actually listened to it 10 times over the week

9:53 · and I still got it wrong.

9:55 · It's a big word,

9:56 · but here's what it means.

9:58 · It's this gut level word.

10:00 · It means that the insides,

10:02 · his gut was moved when he saw the crowd.

10:06 · It's like when you have someone you love,

10:09 · a child or a spouse or a close family member

10:13 · when they were sick and you're like,

10:15 · I wish we could just trade places.

10:17 · I see you in pain.

10:19 · I see you in agony.

10:21 · And this gut level compassion just comes up.

10:25 · This deep physical ache that says

10:28 · I cannot leave that person where they are.

10:32 · And that is what Jesus felt

10:34 · when he looked at the crowd

10:35 · that had ruined his grief.

10:39 · You know, as I was reading it,

10:41 · I was like, you know, this is honestly,

10:43 · as I was like trying to get into the mindset of Jesus,

10:46 · I was like, this is the hardest part

10:48 · about being a dad or being a mom

10:51 · is that sometimes there are just no days off.

10:56 · I found, tried to look for the time clock

10:58 · of where I could clock out being a dad

10:59 · and I could not find it.

11:02 · And we can't clock out from being a dad

11:05 · or a mom or a spouse.

11:07 · It's something we do all the time

11:09 · and sadly we fail time and time again at that.

11:13 · But the hardest part of opening people into our lives

11:17 · and being a part and leading and loving people

11:20 · is there are no days off.

11:23 · And here's the thing, Jesus' compassion for us,

11:26 · it didn't take a day off even when he was hurting.

11:30 · And here's the beauty of this.

11:32 · There has never been a moment

11:33 · in the history of the world

11:34 · when Jesus has been too tired, too sad,

11:38 · too overwhelmed, too disappointed

11:40 · to feel compassion for you.

11:43 · Hebrews 4.15 says that we have a high priest in Jesus Christ

11:47 · who is able to sympathize with our weakness.

11:50 · That's why he came here on earth

11:52 · to understand how messed up and weak humans are

11:55 · to know what our experience is like.

11:58 · And Jesus didn't just have compassion

12:00 · when his tank was full,

12:02 · he had compassion when his tank was empty.

12:05 · And then it moves on to verse 15

12:07 · and I love it because this one stings

12:08 · because I see myself in the way

12:11 · that the disciples answer here.

12:14 · They basically come up to him and say,

12:17 · hey, Jesus, send them home.

12:19 · They're like, it's getting late.

12:20 · They're hungry.

12:22 · They need to figure it out for themselves.

12:24 · This isn't our problem.

12:25 · He literally says send them into the villages

12:27 · so they can eat.

12:28 · He's like looking around,

12:29 · he's like, there's no Chick-fil-A out here.

12:32 · Go tell them to go somewhere else.

12:34 · He's like, it's like being in like Tucson.

12:36 · There's nothing good there.

12:37 · Go somewhere else.

12:41 · That wasn't in my notes either,

12:42 · but it's the first thing that pops in my head.

12:46 · But he's like, hey, this is not our problem, Jesus.

12:49 · Let's not take this on.

12:52 · But I love Jesus' answer in verse 16.

12:55 · It's one of the most striking lines

12:56 · in all the gospel.

12:58 · He says, they don't need to go away.

13:01 · And then he puts it on the disciples.

13:03 · You give them something to eat.

13:05 · And the disciples, they wanted to dismiss the hurt.

13:08 · But Jesus wanted to address it.

13:11 · And he didn't want to just address it.

13:12 · He wanted to use them to address it.

13:17 · Now church, think about what is happening in the story.

13:21 · As we come to 2026, the world is full

13:24 · of hurting people.

13:25 · And the temptation of every church member,

13:28 · every disciple in every era is to say, send them away.

13:32 · It's not my problem.

13:34 · Let them figure it out.

13:35 · I'm tired.

13:36 · I'm tapped out.

13:37 · I'm dealing with my own stuff.

13:39 · Let them figure it out.

13:42 · But Jesus looks at his tired, grieving,

13:46 · under-resourced disciples.

13:48 · And he looks at us today and says, you feed them.

13:53 · You see, it's hard to love and feed our world

13:55 · because it takes a lot of energy that Christ calls us to be.

14:00 · Over the past year, we kind of rolled out in our church.

14:03 · We say our mission is to make Jesus known.

14:06 · But we ask, how do we know we are making Jesus known?

14:09 · What is he doing in building in us and creating us

14:12 · to know we're headed the right direction?

14:14 · And one of the things we impact here

14:15 · at Cross Churches Surprise is we will know

14:18 · we are making Jesus known and being effective

14:19 · when we are hungry, humble, and hospitable.

14:22 · When we are hungry, that we are chasing after Christ.

14:24 · We're getting closer to him.

14:26 · We're spiritually craving on him.

14:28 · When we are humble, when we stop thinking

14:30 · that we are on second base because we hit a double,

14:33 · but we realize that God has moved us and provided

14:37 · so we can give our time and energy to others.

14:40 · But we also talked about this last one.

14:42 · I think the hardest one in the suburbs of Surprise

14:44 · is to be uncomfortably hospitable.

14:47 · And when we said we wanna be uncomfortably hospitable,

14:49 · he said we want to bring people into our homes.

14:53 · Those who are church members and saints,

14:56 · but those who are also sinners of our neighbors

14:58 · and those who are hurting around us.

15:01 · And let me tell you, it's not always easy

15:03 · to host and love people in your home

15:05 · to get meal, to break bread, and to do life together.

15:09 · Me and my wife have fully embraced this

15:11 · through ministry and God has challenged us

15:13 · more and more, and I love having people over.

15:16 · I love having family.

15:17 · Just last weekend we had families over

15:19 · and whenever we invite two families over,

15:22 · it ultimately ends like there's 20 kids in our house

15:25 · just because we have so many and they have kids

15:27 · and it's just chaos.

15:28 · And I love cleaning up our house

15:30 · and making the food and doing all that,

15:32 · but sometimes even unforeseen things happen.

15:36 · Like the hardest part of hosting for us now

15:37 · isn't the cleanup, it isn't the food,

15:40 · it isn't making sure our kids aren't jerks

15:42 · and hit other kids.

15:44 · It is the stuff that sometimes happens after the fact.

15:47 · This past weekend we had two families over,

15:49 · everything went great, we enjoyed it,

15:51 · and then at 11 p.m. at night,

15:54 · my two-year-old daughter, Alice,

15:55 · started throwing up in her crib.

15:58 · So that meant we had to text the other families

16:00 · and be like, your kids are gonna start throwing up

16:03 · any minute now.

16:05 · And it was almost like this gut-wrenching thing.

16:07 · Even when we're trying to do the right thing,

16:09 · even when we're loving our community,

16:11 · even when things are going well,

16:13 · sometimes there's a temptation of like,

16:15 · I don't know if I can do enough.

16:17 · It would be easy if I just like,

16:19 · put my kids in a bubble, you put your kids in a bubble,

16:20 · we don't even do life together.

16:22 · It'd be easier if I don't try to help fix your issues

16:24 · because I'm too broken,

16:26 · but Jesus uses the broken disciples.

16:29 · And he says, I'm going to bring my church,

16:32 · my gospel through you.

16:34 · He says, you feed them.

16:37 · And you see, the disciples knew

16:38 · they didn't have enough.

16:40 · They knew they didn't want the liability

16:43 · of getting all these people out here,

16:45 · feeding them food and them throwing up after,

16:47 · and then be like, oh, that was bad.

16:49 · But here's the thing, Jesus didn't care

16:51 · about the reservations of their inconvenience.

16:54 · He cared about the people, the crowd that was there.

16:58 · And in this front half of this passage,

17:00 · here's what I think we need to see.

17:01 · Jesus has compassion for our hurts.

17:05 · The first move of every miracle is his mercy.

17:08 · And when he moves, he often moves

17:10 · through ordinary people like me and like you

17:13 · who are willing to hand over the little they have.

17:17 · Which leads us right into the second thing

17:19 · this miracle shows us,

17:20 · not only the compassion that Christ has,

17:23 · but it also shows us the resources for our needs.

17:26 · The resources for our needs.

17:28 · You look at verse 17 as the story keeps unwinding.

17:32 · It says here, as he's telling them,

17:34 · you feed them, the excuses come.

17:38 · But, but we only have five loaves and two fish here.

17:43 · They said to him, five loaves, two fish.

17:47 · And now we're talking about a small little packed lunch.

17:50 · These five loaves are probably like the size of a biscuit.

17:52 · So this was not like your sourdough bread

17:55 · that you might bake in the oven

17:56 · if you're in your sourdough era

17:58 · and your starter hasn't died.

17:59 · Some of you know what I'm talking about, right?

18:02 · These are like tiny little bread, little baskets,

18:05 · like little things you get without the cheese

18:08 · at Red Lobster, okay?

18:09 · So like less than that, but small.

18:12 · And then these are two fish.

18:13 · These aren't like big old fish.

18:14 · These are probably dried fish,

18:16 · almost like the size of sardines.

18:19 · And all this, this was this little boy's lunch

18:21 · as John tells us in his account.

18:23 · This was all they had.

18:27 · You think about this for a second

18:28 · and from the disciples' perspective

18:30 · is do you know what it's like to feel

18:32 · like your food is always disappearing

18:35 · and the shelves, as soon as they get stocked,

18:37 · are just empty again.

18:39 · They were probably going around.

18:40 · They're like, there's gotta be some food here.

18:41 · Maybe I'll look in this area.

18:42 · Maybe I'll look in that area.

18:44 · And everywhere they tried to look,

18:46 · there was just not enough.

18:50 · But check out what God does with this.

18:53 · As he sees that there is not enough food,

18:56 · it then turns to it gets,

18:58 · the problem gets more complex

19:00 · because then all of a sudden,

19:01 · they see there's not enough food

19:03 · because they start counting the crowd.

19:05 · Verse 21, it says, now those who ate,

19:08 · and we're skipping ahead,

19:10 · but we'll get to how they ate in a second,

19:11 · were about 5,000 men

19:13 · besides women and children.

19:17 · It's just 5,000 there

19:18 · and this is why this miracle is commonly called

19:20 · the feeding of the 5,000.

19:21 · But they only counted the men.

19:23 · They didn't even count the women and children.

19:25 · Ancient estimates said this size of the crowd

19:27 · was probably more like 15 to 20,000 people.

19:31 · 15 to 20,000 people

19:33 · hanging out in the middle of nowhere

19:36 · in a wasteland slightly better than Tucson

19:39 · waiting for some food.

19:42 · And all the disciples can bring to Jesus

19:46 · is five little loaves of bread

19:49 · and two small fish.

19:52 · And what does Jesus do with it?

19:54 · Well, we're told in verse 18,

19:56 · as they collect these

19:57 · and it's the only thing they can find

19:59 · in the whole sea of 15,000 to 20,000 people,

20:03 · they bring it to Jesus

20:04 · and he says this in verse 18.

20:06 · He says, bring them here to me,

20:08 · the stuff they had.

20:09 · Then he commanded the crowds

20:10 · to sit down on the grass.

20:12 · He took the five loaves

20:14 · and the two fish

20:15 · and looking up to heaven,

20:16 · he blessed them.

20:19 · He broke the loaves

20:20 · and gave them to the disciples

20:22 · and the disciples gave them to the crowds.

20:27 · Now, slow that down.

20:28 · There are four things that Jesus does right here.

20:30 · He took the elements that he was given.

20:33 · He blessed them.

20:35 · He broke them.

20:36 · And then he gave them out.

20:39 · These four words will be used again

20:41 · throughout the gospel.

20:43 · These of he took, he blessed, he broke, and he gave.

20:47 · And the next time Matthew will use these four words

20:49 · is actually in Matthew chapter 26

20:52 · where he talks about the first Lord's Supper

20:54 · that the night before Jesus was crucified,

20:57 · when he sits down with his 12 disciples in a room,

21:00 · they are going to do the same thing

21:02 · as Jesus is pointing forward to that miracle

21:06 · of what he will ultimately perform on the cross.

21:11 · And as Jesus takes and he blesses

21:14 · and he breaks and he gives,

21:16 · in verse 20 we see the results of this.

21:20 · It said everyone ate

21:22 · and they were filled

21:24 · and they picked up 12 baskets

21:27 · full of leftover pieces.

21:29 · Now I don't think there is an accident here

21:32 · that there are 12 baskets.

21:35 · There's one for each disciple that was present.

21:39 · And I don't think that's an accident or coincidence.

21:41 · The disciples started that day

21:43 · saying we don't have enough

21:45 · and then each one of them

21:47 · got a whole basket overflowing with food

21:49 · showing them how wrong they were.

21:53 · Jesus didn't just meet the need of the crowd.

21:56 · He outpaced the doubt of the disciples

21:58 · that were following him.

22:01 · And I think here's what the text wants you to see

22:03 · that five loaves and two fish in your hands,

22:06 · in the hands of disciples,

22:08 · that is a problem to feed 20,000 people.

22:12 · But five loaves and two fish in the hands of Jesus

22:15 · is a feast that will never end

22:18 · as long as he doesn't want it to.

22:21 · I love this because as we read this passage,

22:24 · I think about how God often calls us

22:27 · out of our comfort zone

22:29 · to show how he can provide.

22:32 · If this is your church family,

22:33 · in March we launched an ambitious two year campaign

22:37 · called Let's Go.

22:38 · You heard about our Let's Go launch

22:39 · which is our internship program

22:41 · where we wanna raise up leaders in the church

22:43 · but not Let's Go in March.

22:45 · We talked about how we also wanna raise up

22:47 · the resources for this.

22:49 · And over the next two years

22:50 · we asked our church family to say

22:51 · hey what would it look like

22:52 · for you to commit to funding the mission

22:56 · of how can we start more churches

22:58 · in more areas so the gospel in Jesus

23:01 · can be made known in a greater impact

23:03 · that not just has an impact today

23:05 · but for generations to come.

23:08 · And if you're in part a cross church

23:09 · we're already doing this in our collective.

23:11 · By the end of the year

23:12 · we'll have six locations in Arizona

23:14 · where we have pastors at each location

23:17 · preaching and teaching and leading worship.

23:20 · That's already six of those in Arizona.

23:22 · We have three of those internationally

23:23 · but we're asking God of like

23:25 · how can you continue to do this more?

23:27 · How can you multiply what you're already doing

23:29 · in a way that we can't even understand

23:31 · and we can't take the credit for?

23:33 · And here's the thing that I had

23:35 · the same mentality of the disciples

23:37 · as we came into this

23:38 · like God I don't think we have enough.

23:41 · I know I don't have enough in my bank account.

23:42 · I don't know if I have any more time.

23:44 · I don't know if I have any more margin.

23:46 · I have any more bandwidth.

23:47 · I can only do this much

23:48 · and sometimes when God calls us to big things

23:51 · the first thing we say is like

23:54 · I don't think I have enough God.

23:56 · Like I just have this little bit,

23:58 · these five loaves, these two fish.

24:00 · They're not gonna contribute to the church.

24:02 · They're not gonna contribute to the kingdom.

24:04 · Most of us if we're honest

24:06 · we rock around clutching what little we have.

24:11 · Terrified to hand it over

24:14 · but here's the thing.

24:15 · The only path to a miracle

24:16 · is when we hand over the little

24:18 · that we have to Christ

24:20 · and watch how he uses it

24:22 · in more abundance than we ever could.

24:25 · He says what's underlying all this story.

24:29 · What is in your hand this morning

24:31 · that you've refused to give it.

24:33 · When you give it to Christ

24:34 · he will do more with it

24:36 · than you can do alone.

24:38 · Your money, your gifting, your story,

24:41 · your hurt, your pain.

24:43 · Hand it over and watch how God uses it.

24:48 · And you see this is exactly

24:50 · what this miracle shows us.

24:52 · But here's what I love about this story

24:54 · is this is not where it totally ends.

24:57 · This is where Matthew's account ends.

25:00 · But what I love about this miracle

25:03 · is the feeding of the 5,000

25:04 · is the one miracle

25:06 · that's actually recorded in all four gospels.

25:09 · Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

25:12 · And when you flip over to John's gospel

25:13 · in John six looking at verse 32

25:17 · he gives some commentary on this miracle

25:20 · and why it's so important.

25:23 · And after Jesus does all these crazy things

25:26 · here's what I love

25:27 · is not only does it show us

25:29 · his compassion for us.

25:31 · Not only does it show us

25:33 · how we need resources, our needs

25:35 · no matter how little we have.

25:37 · But the feeding of the 5,000

25:39 · then points us to something.

25:41 · And what it points us to first

25:42 · is it points us to recognize

25:44 · who our true provider is.

25:46 · Let's keep going in this

25:48 · and in John chapter six verse 32

25:50 · I love that the next morning

25:52 · after the feeding of the 5,000 happens

25:55 · the same crowd who just got fed

25:57 · all this delicious bread and fish

26:01 · they come back and they track Jesus down again.

26:03 · Like Jesus left and they find him.

26:05 · And they find him and they're like

26:07 · dude we want another meal.

26:09 · We want another miracle.

26:10 · We want another show.

26:11 · They wanted him to keep performing

26:13 · for them.

26:14 · And then Jesus says something

26:16 · in John six verse 32

26:17 · that pivots the entire conversation.

26:20 · He says as Jesus said to them

26:21 · the crowd who was looking

26:23 · for their next meal ticket.

26:25 · He says truly I tell you

26:28 · Moses didn't give you the bread from heaven

26:31 · but my father gives you the true bread from heaven.

26:35 · For the bread of God

26:36 · is the one who comes down from heaven

26:39 · and gives life to this world.

26:43 · You see the crowd was thinking.

26:46 · They knew their history

26:47 · and they knew their Old Testament.

26:50 · And you know this story about Moses

26:51 · as he was leading a million Jews

26:54 · through the wilderness

26:55 · escaping Egypt trying to get into the promised land.

26:58 · And they knew their stories

26:59 · and they knew that story of like

27:00 · hey God kept feeding them for 40 years.

27:05 · There was no Chick-fil-A in that wilderness.

27:07 · All right.

27:08 · For 40 years

27:09 · God sent manna and dew

27:11 · to feed a million people.

27:13 · Mind blowing.

27:15 · And like I think we just found our Moses.

27:17 · We found our next meal ticket.

27:19 · Like let's stop working.

27:20 · Let's stop providing for our food.

27:22 · Let's stop being farmers

27:24 · or carpenters or whatever.

27:25 · Let's just follow this guy

27:27 · and he will provide.

27:29 · He will give us everything we need.

27:31 · And Jesus says stop right there.

27:34 · He's like Moses didn't give you that bread.

27:37 · He says my father got in heaven did.

27:40 · And he says this then he ups it

27:41 · and he says in the real bread of heaven

27:44 · is not falling on the ground every morning.

27:46 · It's not being multiplied in baskets

27:49 · from a little boy's lunch.

27:50 · He says the real bread is standing right

27:54 · in front of you.

27:56 · What a mic drop moment.

27:59 · Jesus told them he's like

28:01 · I am not the new Moses

28:02 · handing out the meal next meal.

28:05 · I am the bread itself

28:06 · to meet every hardship and hurt

28:09 · that you will ever have.

28:12 · You see church this is huge

28:14 · because if we're honest

28:16 · I think often we're like the crowd

28:18 · and we come to Jesus the same way.

28:20 · As we come to Jesus we're like

28:21 · Jesus I got some more messed up stuff in my life.

28:25 · I really need you to pay this bill

28:26 · because it's hurting

28:28 · and I don't know how I'm gonna do it.

28:29 · Jesus I really need you to heal

28:31 · this sickness that I'm going through

28:33 · because I don't see around it.

28:35 · Jesus I really need you to fix my relationship

28:37 · that I've been stupid

28:38 · and the reason it's so messed up

28:39 · is because I've made it messed up.

28:40 · But Jesus if you could just fix it all

28:42 · that'd be great.

28:43 · Jesus if you could just make my wife love me more

28:44 · and fix my marriage

28:45 · because I said some dumb things

28:47 · and bail me out of this that'd be great.

28:49 · Jesus I haven't fathered

28:50 · and led my kids the way I should.

28:53 · But Jesus if you could just make them better kids

28:55 · that would be awesome.

28:56 · Jesus I really haven't put my full effort in at work

28:59 · but if you could just make me a better employee

29:01 · and make my bosses like me

29:02 · that would be great.

29:03 · And maybe you're not as superficial as that

29:06 · but you come to Jesus often

29:08 · just looking for the next meal.

29:10 · The next little holdover.

29:12 · The next fix to get you through the day

29:15 · and we come with our hands out to Christ

29:17 · just looking for him to give the things we need

29:21 · instead of give you something lasting

29:23 · that goes beyond it.

29:26 · And hear this before you're like

29:27 · man that's a bummer

29:28 · because I do pray to Jesus for all those things

29:30 · and you should

29:32 · because Jesus does fix our problems.

29:35 · He does do miraculous things.

29:36 · He does pay bills sometimes

29:38 · and restore relationships

29:39 · and there's story and story after that.

29:42 · But Jesus refuses to be reduced

29:44 · to a vending machine of miracles.

29:48 · He came to give us not the gift

29:51 · but to give us himself in the giver.

29:55 · Not to just give us the bread

29:58 · but to give us his very body and himself.

30:01 · And you see what's happening in the story

30:02 · is the crowd wanted continual provision.

30:05 · The crowd wanted heavenly handouts

30:09 · but Jesus as the provider

30:11 · he's the one who gives heavenly hand ups.

30:15 · I was at our Phoenix location, Cross Church Phoenix.

30:18 · That's where I started with Cross Church 10 years ago

30:21 · and I was there for about eight and a half years

30:23 · and I love that church and it's thriving

30:26 · and doing amazing things

30:27 · but one of the things I was most proud about

30:30 · and most excited that I think when we just leaned on God

30:34 · and he did a great thing

30:35 · is starting a Celebrate Recovery ministry

30:38 · and it still goes to this day every Wednesday at 6.30.

30:40 · Actually another pastor in the area asked me

30:42 · if we're still doing it and I'm like absolutely.

30:44 · And what I love about Celebrate Recovery is

30:46 · it's saying we want to help people

30:48 · and to have freedom from their hurts,

30:50 · habits and hang ups.

30:51 · And here's the deal when people come to CR

30:54 · we have help and needs there.

30:57 · We'll give out food,

30:58 · we'll give out provision that they need

31:00 · but what we're trying to point them to

31:03 · is how do you find ultimately your value in Christ

31:07 · that will then teach you the disciplines

31:09 · that will change your life forever?

31:12 · And instead of saying hey I just need this little more

31:14 · to get through and I'll be fine.

31:16 · How do you change your entire life,

31:19 · organize it around Christ himself

31:21 · and watch how everything changes as a result?

31:25 · And then instead of coming to Jesus

31:26 · just for your next problem to be fixed

31:29 · you start coming him to continually to change

31:32 · who you are and change how it affects you.

31:36 · And here's the deal until you recognize

31:39 · that everything you call provision in your life,

31:42 · your job, your house, your savings,

31:44 · your relationships, your health and your family

31:46 · until you realize it is from him

31:50 · and it is only ever a picture of him

31:53 · then you will spend your whole life

31:55 · just seeking Jesus for the next thing

31:58 · instead of seeking him to change everything about you.

32:02 · You see the feeding of the 5,000

32:04 · it points us to recognize our true provider in Christ

32:07 · but it also points us to embrace our true need.

32:13 · As this story is going and as Jesus

32:15 · already disappoints them because they're like

32:17 · man I wanted more bread and he's like

32:18 · bro the bread is right here

32:19 · and they're like I don't get it.

32:20 · What is he talking about?

32:22 · Is he saying we should be cannibals and eat him?

32:25 · But he stops there and verse 34 as they respond

32:31 · and they say like I just want my bread.

32:33 · They say in verse 34 it's so revealing of their hearts.

32:36 · They then said sir give us this bread always.

32:40 · Like okay so you are the spiritual vending machine.

32:42 · Just keep giving us more bread

32:44 · that they still didn't get it.

32:45 · They still thought they were at a buffet line.

32:47 · They still thought they were at the Golden Corral.

32:48 · Thank goodness those are all closed right?

32:50 · They're all disgusting.

32:52 · You all get stomach bugs and throw up after anyway

32:54 · so sweet tomatoes all those are gone.

32:57 · Actually there's still sweet tomatoes.

32:58 · You know where it's at?

33:00 · Tucson yeah.

33:03 · It came back around.

33:05 · That was the Holy Spirit planting that joke in early

33:07 · all right.

33:08 · I didn't have it in my notes.

33:09 · Anyway what are we talking about again?

33:12 · I don't know.

33:15 · But here they're like they just wanted more.

33:17 · They wanted more food

33:19 · and they're not understanding what Christ says

33:21 · and then I love this in verse 35.

33:23 · This is one of the great I am statements of John

33:25 · that Jesus lays them on as they're like

33:27 · give us this bread.

33:29 · Give us more.

33:30 · We're just gonna hang out with you

33:31 · and you're gonna feed us.

33:32 · We're gonna become fat on our laziness

33:34 · and just seeking you

33:35 · but not actually doing what you say

33:37 · and then Jesus says this

33:39 · I am the bread of life.

33:43 · Not the bread that you keep getting that you eat

33:45 · but the bread of life

33:47 · and then he adds this statement

33:49 · no one who comes to me

33:52 · will ever be hungry

33:54 · and no one who believes in me

33:56 · will ever be thirsty again.

34:00 · Just stop for a second

34:03 · and feel the weight of that statement.

34:08 · He says you'll never be hungry again.

34:11 · You'll never be thirsty again

34:14 · and guys he's not talking about food.

34:17 · He's talking about something greater than food.

34:21 · He's saying you're not gonna be hungry for purpose.

34:23 · You're not gonna be hungry for love.

34:26 · You're not gonna be hungry for peace.

34:28 · You're not gonna be hungry for meaning.

34:30 · You're not gonna be hungry for forgiveness.

34:32 · You're not gonna be hungry for hope.

34:34 · You will never be hungry again

34:36 · because something greater will fill you.

34:41 · You know we're Baptist

34:41 · so we don't often talk a lot about fasting

34:45 · because we like our potlucks okay.

34:48 · But here's how fasting actually works

34:51 · is when you're deprived of food

34:54 · you're depending more on God

34:57 · to provide for your needs and it keeps you going.

35:01 · And here's the crazy thing.

35:03 · I'm not telling you guys to stop eating food

35:05 · because you do need to still eat food all right.

35:07 · But when you fill yourself with the spirit

35:10 · and you seek God and you love God

35:12 · sometimes it fills you up

35:14 · that the other stuff the superficial things of life

35:17 · like food and drinks and all those things

35:19 · like I don't even need Red Bull on Sundays

35:21 · if I'm being honest I drink it

35:22 · because it gets me up

35:23 · but I get jacked up on Jesus

35:25 · before I get jacked up on Red Bull okay.

35:27 · And here's the thing

35:28 · sometimes when the spirit is filling us up

35:30 · and we are seeking God

35:31 · and we're finding our sustenance from God

35:33 · we don't even need those things.

35:34 · Here's what's funny after church on Sundays

35:36 · is like I never have an appetite.

35:38 · And my wife's like you want anything?

35:40 · Our routine is we pick up salad

35:41 · and go and Wendy's on the way home

35:43 · to eat for the kids

35:44 · and I'm like I don't even need food.

35:45 · Like I'm not hungry.

35:46 · Sometimes I force myself to eat

35:47 · because I think I need it

35:49 · but I'm just like so filled with Jesus

35:51 · from being with my church family

35:53 · and being with the word of God

35:55 · that I'm like I don't even need food.

35:57 · I'm just gonna go run until I pass out

35:59 · because I'm full with Jesus right now.

36:03 · One person thought that was cool all right

36:05 · that wasn't a clapping moment

36:06 · I'll get you later.

36:09 · But here is our problem church

36:11 · we have spent our whole lives

36:14 · trying to satisfy our deepest hunger

36:18 · that our world has to offer

36:20 · with the wrong food.

36:22 · We've tried to filled our stomachs

36:25 · our spiritual stomachs

36:26 · our emotional stomachs

36:28 · our mental stomachs

36:29 · with things like achievement

36:30 · with approval

36:32 · with possessions

36:33 · with relationships

36:34 · with substances

36:35 · with screens

36:37 · in every time we leave the table

36:39 · we are still hungry.

36:41 · C.S. Lewis diagnosed this beautifully.

36:43 · I love this quote.

36:44 · He says if we have desires

36:45 · nothing in this world can satisfy

36:48 · that is you.

36:49 · You have desires that you fill

36:51 · with thing after thing after thing

36:52 · and you are not satisfied.

36:53 · He says the most likely explanation

36:55 · is that we were made for another world.

36:58 · Oh that's good.

37:01 · And here's the deal

37:03 · is you were be made

37:04 · you were made to be filled

37:06 · not with the stuff

37:08 · that we make in our world

37:09 · that just get us day by day

37:11 · is you were made to be filled

37:12 · with the bread of life

37:14 · Jesus Christ himself.

37:16 · And until you embrace that need

37:18 · until you stop trying to feed your soul

37:20 · on five loaves

37:22 · and two fish substitutes

37:23 · you will never know

37:25 · what enough actually feels like.

37:27 · And here's what I love

37:28 · cause this is the real message

37:30 · of this whole miracle

37:32 · that it points to

37:33 · and comes to fruition

37:34 · in John chapter 14

37:36 · is after Jesus has multiplied lunch

37:38 · and he has said he is the bread himself.

37:41 · I love this

37:42 · because the disciples

37:43 · who saw this in John chapter 14 verse 8

37:46 · Philip one of the dude

37:47 · who collected a basket full of food

37:49 · he says this Lord

37:51 · show us the father

37:52 · and that's enough for us.

37:55 · Philip's like okay I get it

37:56 · we need more than food

37:58 · but show us God the father

38:00 · and we'll be satisfied.

38:02 · And Philip thinks he's made this huge leap

38:04 · he thinks he's theological

38:05 · he thinks he's smart

38:07 · it's the cry of the human heart

38:08 · he said show me what's enough

38:10 · show me what fills me

38:12 · show me what satisfies me

38:13 · and Jesus answers in verse nine

38:14 · and I love this.

38:16 · He says have I been among you

38:18 · all this time

38:20 · without your knowing me Philip?

38:22 · He says the one who has seen me

38:25 · has seen the father.

38:27 · Here's what Jesus is saying

38:28 · if you know me

38:30 · you know your creator

38:31 · you know God the father

38:33 · you know everything you need to know

38:35 · in other words Philip

38:37 · what you're looking for

38:38 · everything you strive for

38:40 · everything you've pushed for

38:42 · it is all found in Christ

38:44 · and here it builds

38:45 · to this miraculous truth

38:46 · that we see in this passage

38:48 · that you will never have enough

38:50 · church you will never have enough

38:52 · that you try to fill your life with

38:55 · all the achievement

38:56 · all the money

38:56 · all the success

38:57 · all the family

38:58 · none of it will be enough

39:00 · until you accept that Jesus is enough

39:02 · all right?

39:03 · Do you hear this?

39:07 · None of it will be there

39:09 · you will never have enough

39:10 · until you accept that Jesus is enough

39:12 · you will never have enough money

39:13 · until you think that Jesus is enough

39:15 · you will never have enough success

39:16 · until you know Jesus is enough

39:18 · you will never have enough recognition

39:20 · enough security

39:21 · enough control

39:22 · enough comfort

39:23 · man we love our comfort here

39:24 · we will never have enough of anything

39:27 · enough relationships

39:28 · enough addictions

39:29 · anything until you come to the foundation

39:31 · that Jesus you are enough

39:40 · You see this boy, he gave Jesus five loaves and two fish

39:49 · that were not even close to enough to feed 20,000 people.

39:56 · But Jesus did it because he can take in your life

40:01 · what is not enough, he can multiply it,

40:05 · he can make it enough and he can give you himself

40:09 · that is all you need.

40:13 · So here's the questions that we need

40:14 · to wrestle with this morning.

40:17 · At first, if you are a believer in the room today,

40:21 · if you say, I am a follower of Jesus,

40:24 · I have said that Jesus is enough,

40:28 · you need to ask the question,

40:32 · what are you still trying to feed your soul

40:36 · that only Jesus can feed you?

40:41 · What are you trying to seek after?

40:44 · What's the loaf that you keep reaching for

40:46 · that always leaves you hungry?

40:50 · Surrender it, give it up, hand it over,

40:56 · stop chasing crumbs at the feet of a savior

40:59 · who is offering you the feast.

41:05 · And maybe that's not you today.

41:08 · Maybe you don't know Jesus yet

41:12 · and maybe you've never trusted him before.

41:17 · I want you to hear me that we get this truth

41:19 · from God's word, that you've spent your life

41:26 · trying to find enough.

41:29 · And I know if you're honest, you haven't found it.

41:33 · You haven't found enough purpose,

41:36 · enough love, enough peace,

41:41 · every meal, every hack,

41:45 · every lie that the world has fed you

41:48 · has left you hungrier than you were before.

41:53 · But there is a savior who took five loaves and two fish

41:59 · and fed 20,000 people,

42:02 · but this same savior took his own body.

42:08 · He broke it on the cross for us.

42:11 · He died in our place for our sins.

42:14 · And the miracle is he rose again to defeat those sins

42:19 · so that you can be forgiven.

42:21 · So that you can find purpose

42:24 · so that you can have a life that is enough.

42:29 · He is the bread of life.

42:32 · He is the offering himself to this morning

42:36 · that you will never have enough

42:39 · until you accept that Jesus is enough.

42:46 · Church, he is enough.