“And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them here to me” (vs17-18).
We are to bring the Lord Jesus all that we have, for Him to bless it by His blood and multiply it by His power. We trust Christ’s work sufficient for God to bless, even though we are SMALL in faith and love. He DOESN’T need something in you before He can bless. Faith is NOT a look at SELF and then EXPECTATION in Christ by how STRONG or weak I am; faith LOOKS to Christ to have SUFFICIENTLY satisfied and appeased God, so that GOD blesses exactly as, “It is written”.
Your smallness is no hindrance to the GREATNESS of God, and He makes us minister by COMMANDING us to give (Matt 14:18). Preach, teach, learn, love, and PRAY for God’s glory, because He hears you, sees you, and rewards YOUR faith, no matter how small. But, it is FAITH in the Son of God, that though I’m NOTHING, He is GREAT enough for God to do EXCEEDING above all that we ask or think.
1. We can tell Jesus anything, and we don’t have to be afraid that He doesn’t hear – “And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities” (Matt 14:12-13). Through His death, we can be assured that our prayers are heard. Tears soaked in blood are GOOD tears to be heard for Christ’s sake, and He MOVES at our cry.
The answer may not be what we expected, but it is the answer of a God who knows, cares, loves, and moves PERFECTLY all the time. Prayer has an OUTLET to move God, and yet prayer knows that God moves as He pleases to the BETTERMENT of my soul. I could not rule me better than Christ does. I couldn’t be more merciful to myself.
2. Christ is COMPASSIONATE upon sinners, even those that He destroys, but His compassion's upon the elect are great and strong – “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matt 14:14). His people will hear. We mourn because more don’t hear, but His MOURNING is the mourning that we need, for His mourning compels Him to do good to all the Father gave Him. Therefore, He STIRS us to give.
His provision is not BECAUSE sinners have NO need, but because we have need. We think of a God who must be appeased, a God who is stingy with His love, or a God who must be angry with us because we forget bread. But, the God of the bible is GRACIOUS to the maximum, as He deals with us in the Son. And, being in Christ through the blood by faith, and PUTTING on Christ before God, there’s no good that He won’t give us. He honors Christ by blessing us who use His name.
3. We are unbelieving and stingy, “And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals” (Matt 14:15). God’s people are not the representatives of God that we should be, could be, or will be in due time. But, we are STILL God’s people.
The church is FAULTY to the human eye, perfect to Christ, and yet REPROVED and changed by Him daily. At our best, we come so far short of His glory that we cannot pray apart from His blood. But, through Christ, our failures and unbelief is PARDONED, our FOOLISHNESS is reproved, and we are given strength to do better: He TEACHES us – “Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way” (Ps 25:8). Rather than destroying sinners for unbelief, He pays their penalty, and teaches them to obey.
4. We have commandment from God, “But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give you them to eat” (Matt 14:16). We don’t have the option to “not serve”. We have been told, “Give you them to eat”, and we must feed this world the gospel of God’s grace and the love that we have. We can’t be excused. We can be equipped, taught, and powered by the gospel and Spirit, but we cannot resign ourselves from service; we must obey.
5. Even though we are small, we are enough – “And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes” (Matt 14:17). We are a small church, small people, small in faith, and small in everything good and important. But, through Christ, we, as we are, are enough to ACCOMPLISH more than we can think, as we BRING it to Him. Use the preaching, praying, witnessing, serving, and loving in Jesus’ name. Look up to Him and expect the blessing for Christ’s sake.
Your smallness is no hindrance to the GREATNESS of God, and He makes us minister by COMMANDING us to give (Matt 14:18). Preach, teach, learn, love, and PRAY for God’s glory, because He hears you, sees you, and rewards YOUR faith, no matter how small. But, it is FAITH in the Son of God, that though I’m NOTHING, He is GREAT enough for God to do EXCEEDING above all that we ask or think.
1. We can tell Jesus anything, and we don’t have to be afraid that He doesn’t hear – “And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities” (Matt 14:12-13). Through His death, we can be assured that our prayers are heard. Tears soaked in blood are GOOD tears to be heard for Christ’s sake, and He MOVES at our cry.
The answer may not be what we expected, but it is the answer of a God who knows, cares, loves, and moves PERFECTLY all the time. Prayer has an OUTLET to move God, and yet prayer knows that God moves as He pleases to the BETTERMENT of my soul. I could not rule me better than Christ does. I couldn’t be more merciful to myself.
2. Christ is COMPASSIONATE upon sinners, even those that He destroys, but His compassion's upon the elect are great and strong – “And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick” (Matt 14:14). His people will hear. We mourn because more don’t hear, but His MOURNING is the mourning that we need, for His mourning compels Him to do good to all the Father gave Him. Therefore, He STIRS us to give.
His provision is not BECAUSE sinners have NO need, but because we have need. We think of a God who must be appeased, a God who is stingy with His love, or a God who must be angry with us because we forget bread. But, the God of the bible is GRACIOUS to the maximum, as He deals with us in the Son. And, being in Christ through the blood by faith, and PUTTING on Christ before God, there’s no good that He won’t give us. He honors Christ by blessing us who use His name.
3. We are unbelieving and stingy, “And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals” (Matt 14:15). God’s people are not the representatives of God that we should be, could be, or will be in due time. But, we are STILL God’s people.
The church is FAULTY to the human eye, perfect to Christ, and yet REPROVED and changed by Him daily. At our best, we come so far short of His glory that we cannot pray apart from His blood. But, through Christ, our failures and unbelief is PARDONED, our FOOLISHNESS is reproved, and we are given strength to do better: He TEACHES us – “Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way” (Ps 25:8). Rather than destroying sinners for unbelief, He pays their penalty, and teaches them to obey.
4. We have commandment from God, “But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give you them to eat” (Matt 14:16). We don’t have the option to “not serve”. We have been told, “Give you them to eat”, and we must feed this world the gospel of God’s grace and the love that we have. We can’t be excused. We can be equipped, taught, and powered by the gospel and Spirit, but we cannot resign ourselves from service; we must obey.
5. Even though we are small, we are enough – “And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes” (Matt 14:17). We are a small church, small people, small in faith, and small in everything good and important. But, through Christ, we, as we are, are enough to ACCOMPLISH more than we can think, as we BRING it to Him. Use the preaching, praying, witnessing, serving, and loving in Jesus’ name. Look up to Him and expect the blessing for Christ’s sake.
