The Bread of Life | Brad Straarup

Uh today I really feel like I'm on assignment here today to talk to anyone who is in this place and you're experiencing doubt in what you're walking through.

Anyone ever had doubt in your life?

Anyone had any moments in your life where you feel like you're deficient?

Anyone?

You're like, man, there's just some stuff in my life that doesn't quite feel like it's all working out.

And we can have these moments where we say, Man, am I enough?

Like, do I have enough?

Or will I ever be enough?

Some of you this week, you've received some news that has rocked your world.

Medical diagnosis.

Something in your family.

Some of you might not even be something big, it might be something small, but for whatever reason, you're saying, God, do you have the ability to work on this thing?

Like, God, can you can you see my address?

Like, I know the Bible says that you count the hairs on my head, but do you really?

Have you ever had that before?

God, okay, okay, okay.

I think sometimes we can come to this place of doubt.

But I think if we're honest, you know, we can have doubts in ourselves.

Like, I don't know if I have what it takes, but I think sometimes the place that I'm at is not even that I doubt in myself, it's that I doubt in God.

You've never been there before?

You're like, okay, God, I like I know you have the strength.

Like the question is not if you have the strength, the question is this will you show me your strength?

God, I know you have the ability.

I'm not questioning your ability.

I'm just questioning whether or not you're gonna show me your ability.

God, I know you have what it takes.

I've seen you do it before, but will you do it again?

And I've seen you do it for them, but will you do it for me?

Doubting.

God, I'm facing this.

Can you see it?

If you're in this place, I believe that today is gonna minister to you.

We're in week four of our series, The Miracles of Jesus.

Been learning about the seven miracles or signs that happen in the book of John.

And the first week we talked about Jesus turning water into wine, and what it shows is that Jesus is the great bridegroom.

That Jesus has the ability to transform situations, to transform things.

Week two, we learned about the healing of the nobleman's son.

And we learned that Jesus can speak a life-giving word.

Last week it was the healing at the pool of Bethesda, which introduced us to Jesus as healer.

And today doesn't know, I don't know what it is that you're going through in your life, but today I want to introduce you to Jesus as provider.

Jesus as provider.

Whatever that need is.

Could be financial, could be emotional, could be spiritual, could be physical.

Jesus as provider.

So Jesus, may you speak.

May you hide me behind your cross.

May you do what only you can do.

In Jesus' name, and all God's people said.

Come on, all God's people said.

Amen and amen.

If you have your Bibles, I wonder if you can turn to John chapter 6.

John 6 · chapter mention

That's where we're going to be today.

John chapter 6, verse 1.

John 6:1

And we're learning about a story today that is probably one of the most popular stories in the Bible.

This miracle is actually recorded in all four Gospels.

The only other miracle that's recorded in all four is the resurrection.

So you'll know that John is 90% new information, but for some reason, this miracle, every single one decided to record it.

We're starting in verse 1, and it says this, sometime after this.

Okay, after what?

After the healing at Bethesda.

This is happening really quickly.

It says, Jesus crossed to the far shores of the Sea of Galilee.

That is the Sea of Tiberias.

Now I want to tell you something.

Whenever you're reading about the Bible, whenever you're reading the Bible, you're reading about Jesus' life, you're going to often see that he is around the Sea of Galilee.

The reason for that is because Jesus' ministry headquarters was in Capernaum, which was a fisherman's town on the Sea of Galilee.

I want to show you what the Sea of Galilee looks like.

It looks like this.

And what's crazy about it is when you're on it, it almost feels like an ocean.

Okay?

It is 13 miles wide, it is eight miles long, it is absolutely crazy.

It is the lowest freshwater lake in the world.

And it has these massive mountains around it that can often get cold.

And what happens is you have these cold air that will come down the mountain, go through the valley, and then it will hit this warm desert water and it destabilizes the weather.

Which is why out of nowhere the Sea of Galilee can go from calm to crazy.

So whenever you read about Jesus walking on the water, the disciples freaking out, it's happening right over here.

I had a friend that was once on the Sea of Galilee fishing, and they started feeling this breeze, and one of the locals said, We need to go.

And within five minutes, it were these amazing swells, all of a sudden they're fearing for their lives, and that's important because we're gonna get to that in a second.

But I want to show you what that lake looks like.

Jesus is here, and it says that a great crowd of people followed him.

I need you to know something.

People are interested in Jesus.

Even today, people are interested in Jesus.

They might not be interested in church, they might not be interested because someone has hurt them, but they're interested in Jesus.

There is a curiosity about Jesus.

Which let me say this be think about be thinking about who you're inviting to Easter.

Because there's gonna be people that are so interested to know who Jesus is.

We've seen this.

I want you to be praying about who God can bring it.

It's just a couple weeks away, and I can't wait.

It's gonna be awesome.

But people followed him, and it says this they followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.

They wanted to be with Jesus, not for who he was, but for what they could give him.

What they could get from him.

And I think so often we do the same thing.

And we have to be careful of that.

And it says that Jesus went up on a mountainside with his disciples, and I love this detail that Matthew 15, 30 gives.

It says this great crowds came to him, bringing him the lame, the blind, the crippled, and the mute.

It doesn't matter what you're going through, you can bring it to Jesus.

And it says that they brought many others and they laid them at his feet and he healed them.

And that inspires me.

They laid him at his feet.

That inspires me.

Here's why.

Because it doesn't matter how broken I am, it doesn't matter how worried I am, how angry I am, how sinful I am, how crippled I am.

If I can just get to the feet of Jesus, he has what I need.

If I can just humble myself and get to his feet, he has what I need.

Understand this that earthly lowliness has always been the setting required for heaven's miracles.

Earthly lowliness has always been the setting required for heaven's miracles.

That's why I love that as a church we go through these seasons of 21 days of prayer and fasting.

What is that?

It is us humbling ourselves for a season, saying, God, we need you.

God, I need you to move.

And when we do that, God can move.

Second Chronicles 7 verse 14 says this if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways and seek my face, then I will hear from heaven and I will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

God, heal our land.

But it requires humility, it requires that we come to Jesus' feet.

And that's what we see in this thing.

And it says this that the people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.

Understand that the purpose of a miracle is always to draw your attention to the miracle worker.

Purpose of a miracle is always to draw your attention to a miracle worker.

Some of you are trusting God to do something in your life.

And I believe that some of us were gonna see that.

Understand, when it happens, it is not that you can get the glory, it's that he can get the glory.

The purpose is always to draw your attention to what God is doing.

It is a sign of who he is.

It says that the Jewish Passover festival was near, and Jesus looked up and he saw a great crowd coming toward him, and he said to Philip, Oh no.

He said, Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?

He was concerned.

Matthew gives us this detail.

He says, I have compassion on these people, for they have been with me for three days and have had nothing to eat.

I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on their way.

I want you to understand something about Jesus.

Jesus cares about the permanent things that you go through in your life, but he cares about the temporary things too.

He cared about the permanent things like people being sick, but he also cared about the temporary things like hunger.

And some of you are in this place and you're bringing God the big things, but you feel like you can't bring him the small things.

Bring him the small things.

We serve a God that cares if you're facing a divorce right now and you're trying to figure out what that's like.

And we serve a God that if you're a student and you're stressed about a test, he cares about what we do is we bring those things to him.

We are both body and we are spirit.

God wants to care for our bodies and he also wants to care for our spirits.

He cares.

It says this, that he asked them this only to test him.

Say it was a test.

And I do not like tests.

I feel like I do not do too good on tests.

It says, for he already had in his mind what he was gonna do, and Philip answered him, it will take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread to give these people one bite.

He's like, We're a small ministry, this isn't gonna work.

It's like Judas, am I right?

Judas checks all the money that he's stolen, he's like, it's not gonna work.

We don't have money.

He's like, accounting error, don't know why, but we definitely can't feed all of these people.

So Jesus says, This, what do you have?

Verse 8, another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up.

Here was a boy with five small barley loaves.

That would have been a poor person's bread.

And it says, and two small fish.

Think of sardines.

And it says, But how far will they go among so many?

So Jesus said, Have the people sit down.

There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down, about five thousand men were there.

This is insane.

This is a miracle of about twenty thousand people.

It says that he took the loaves, he gave thanks, and he distributed it.

He did the same with the fish, verse 12.

When they all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, gather the leftover pieces, let nothing be wasted.

So they gathered them and they filled twelve baskets with pieces of the five barley loaves.

After the people saw the sign, say sign, Jesus performed, they began to say, Surely this is the prophet who has come to the world.

They're quoting Deuteronomy 18, verse 15 to 19, where Moses says, I am a prophet, but a greater prophet is coming, one who's going to give you the word.

Deuteronomy 18:15–19

Obviously, John chapter 1, Jesus is the word.

John 1 · chapter mention

It is happening right here.

Jesus sets up this whole situation where he's testing the disciples, testing Philip.

Philip, I need you to feed these people.

He's like, Man, I don't know if I have what it takes.

Y'all ever had God test you?

Anyone ever feel like God has tested you?

Anyone ever been in a place of doubt?

It's crazy.

I feel like so often God is working on my trust in him, my faith in him, and the way that he works on my faith in him is by getting me to go through situations where I have to trust.

Imagine that.

I'm like, is there another way?

Can I trust you without going through a situation that proves that I have to trust you?

How about I just say I trust you?

We skip the test, and then everything's good.

Why do you test me?

Anyone ever had that?

Like, why am I in this place of doubt?

God, why couldn't you just do it?

I trust you.

There, it's it, done, do it.

Like I remember growing up, 2008, the housing market crashed.

My dad was in real estate.

He was a real estate broker, and we got to a place as a family.

I was really young when this happened.

And everything, my my dad's entire business crashed.

What he used to make in two days, he made in a year.

We did not know how we're gonna make it.

We did not know how we're gonna provide for food.

We did not know how any of it is gonna work.

And my dad was so frustrated.

God, I've served.

God, I've given.

God, I've done everything that you told me to do.

Why am I here?

Anyone?

I did it! Why am I here?

And he got a little attitude with God, don't recommend it.

But he said something.

He said, he said, God, I just need to know that you're there.

And he said, if you were there, can someone come and bring me oranges?

Which is so strange.

Okay?

So strange.

He's like, I can buy them.

But I just need to know if you'd hear me.

Don't recommend testing God, but for some reason, in this moment, God had compassion on my dad.

And one of his agents came into his office and they said, Hey, I brought you a bag of oranges.

And he was like, Wow.

He's like, that's crazy.

And he said, God, that's a little too easy.

And he said, I want more oranges.

Okay.

I'm like, wow, you're bold.

He's like, I want more oranges.

And he just praised us humbly, just like, God, can you?

And it was crazy because a couple hours later, someone calls him and says, Bring out as many bags as you want.

He comes out with potato bags.

A truck pulls up filled with oranges.

And he said, Take as much as you need.

And I remember in that moment, my dad was just saying, Okay, now did everything get fixed after that moment?

No.

Was it still years of faith?

Yes.

But what it was is God saying, I see you.

Like, I see you.

I remember when I first came to the States, I'm following God.

God's told me to come to America.

I'm at a ministry apprentice.

I'm I'm supporting myself.

I'm trying to make this whole thing work.

And I've told the story before.

I got to a place where I had to renew my license.

And I remember going into the DMV, that long line, and saying, How much does it cost?

And they said$48.

Check my bank account,$12.

And I was like, I do not have good luck with cops.

I get deported and stuff.

So if you know don't know me, you'll hear the story eventually.

But I literally go to my car and I start crying.

And I'm like, God, man, I'm so frustrated with you.

Because I'm obeying.

I'm I'm literally doing what you told me to do.

And I don't even know how this is gonna.

I don't even know how you're gonna provide.

Why am I here?

Anyone?

Like you get to these places where you're like, God, why I'm in this place of doubt?

I don't know what it looks like for you, but I think so often we come into these places, and that's exactly where you find the disciples.

The challenge with all of us is this we were focusing on what we lacked instead of what he has.

We were focusing, I was focusing on how I was never enough instead of focusing on how God is more than enough.

That's the same place that we find the disciples.

There's these moments that can cripple us where we have the shame of the thing that we've done before, and we're like, God, I don't know if you can forgive that, I don't know if I can move forward.

We're comparing ourselves, we have anxiety, we're struggling with all these things, we're trying to impress a bunch of people that we don't even like.

But we're trying and we're doubting.

This is where they were at.

I'm afraid that this message dictates that you ask yourself the question, where are you doubting?

Where do you feel deficient right now?

What is God step, God asking you to do?

Where is he asking you to step?

But for some reason you feel like you might not have what it takes.

So where do we find the disciples?

They're in this place, and Jesus is like, Okay, JR, you're gonna be my disciple.

Congratulations.

You're like, JR.

See all these people?

We have to feed them.

And they're like, Jesus, how?

There's no Costco nearby, there's no Trader Joe's nearby, there's no fries nearby.

And Jesus is like, I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.

He says, JR, you feed them.

Anyone ever had God ask you to do something you don't have the ability to do?

Gives you an assignment for which you lack the resources?

He's like, you feed them.

And they're like, I, I, I, I don't, I don't have anything, I don't know how it's gonna do.

You all get to a place where you're frustrated with the disciples?

Anyone?

Because it was a test.

Say test.

He was testing them.

And I'm like, how could you not see that?

Like, it's Jesus.

Haven't you been hanging out with him before?

Haven't you seen what he's done before?

It was a test.

Get this when Jesus asks you a question.

How many of you know it's not because he needs the answer?

He is the answer.

When the answer asks you a question, it's not because he needs the answer.

If Jesus is asking you for something, it's not because he needs anything.

If if Jesus is asking you for something, it's not because he needs anything, it's because you need something.

But they're in this place and they're like, oh Jesus, I don't know how we're gonna do this.

Jesus, I don't know how this is gonna work.

They have Jesus.

Jesus.

The bread of life, asking them for bread.

How many of you know when the bread of life is asking you for bread?

You don't need any bread.

This is water into wine.

This is Mr.

Can turn a stone into bread.

They're asking this question and they look internally and they're like, man, I don't have what it takes.

I need you to understand something.

Staring at your deficiency has never been a solution to a problem.

Staring at your deficiency has never been a solution to a problem, but this whole thing works.

I love this.

Verse 33, it says that Jesus says this, where could we get enough bread?

The disciples say, Where can we get enough bread in such a remote place to feed such a crowd?

So Jesus asked him this question.

He says, How many loaves do you have?

Say, do you have?

Understand that a beginning of a miracle will always start with the recognition of what you do have.

Not what you don't have, but what you do have.

And so often I don't want to focus on what I do have.

I want to focus on what I don't have.

I want to focus on what you gave them that you didn't give me, and the skills that they have, and the resources they have, and the finances they have.

I want to focus on everybody else, but not what I do have.

He has given you resources, that's what you do have.

He has given you friends, that's what you do have.

He has given you abilities, that's what you do have.

He has given you him.

That's all you need.

What do you have?

Because God will never multiply that which you don't recognize.

We have to recognize what God has given to us, and then we can come and we can place it in his hands.

What do you have?

So they take the little that they have and they put it into the hands of the one that makes little much, which just shows me that God will never multiply what we don't bring.

Come on, he has given you some stuff and he's saying, Hey, can you give that to me?

Can you actually bring that to me?

Some of you are carrying some stuff, and God is saying, Can you bring you know the step you need to take?

You know the thing that you need to do.

How about you just do it?

I think so often my relationship with God feels like a chess game.

Anyone else ever felt like that?

It's like a chess game.

Here's how chess works, okay?

Chess works by you make a move, and then I make a move.

And then you make a move, and then I make a move.

And sometimes I'm like, God, move.

He's already told you, but I'm like, why aren't you showing?

Why aren't you signing?

He's like, I've given you three.

You're like, no, I need four more.

And you're like, God, why won't you move?

And he's like, it's your move.

You actually need to take the step.

You actually have to do the thing that I called you to do, and you'll see that my provision comes when we walk.

You're like, Brad, just trying to find me a girl.

Where are you looking?

Bar.

False.

Stop it.

Stop it.

Doesn't work.

Join the team, become a greeter.

Cute girl comes, you're like, oh hi, I just became an usher.

I'll take you to your seat.

You say, sit right over here, and you sit right next to you, you're like, it's weird, I just became a participant.

Like, I'm just gonna stand here and then they're like, shake someone's hand.

You're like, hi, I'm brand.

Like, that's what you need to do.

Don't do that.

That's weird.

You know what you're supposed to do.

God has told you to do it.

Get in a group, get in this, get on mission, do the thing, plant the business, do the thing that he's called you to do.

He will not multiply that which we don't bring.

If you bring what you have, he can supply what you need.

So it says that they bring this to Jesus.

John 6, verse 11, it says this.

John 6:11

Jesus took the loaves and he gave thanks.

Say thanks.

Get this.

Jesus gave thanks for something that was never enough.

Jesus gave thanks for something that is never enough.

Terrible at this.

Because sometimes I have so much entitlement on the things that I feel like I need.

So again, I'd rather spend my time complaining than actually being grateful for what we have.

Coveting, envying.

You need to understand the way to get away from that is through generosity and thankfulness.

Jesus gave thanks for something that is never enough.

The enemy doesn't know what to do with people who are grateful.

Y'all ever seen that before?

Like Paul.

He's like, Man, if you kill me, I go to be with Jesus.

If I live, I preach about Jesus, so kill me, don't kill me.

What does it matter?

What do you do with someone like that?

Like, what do you do with someone like that?

You know, Job, everything gets taken.

His wife is like, curse God and die.

And he's like, No, no, no, though he slay me, yet I will trust in him.

Yet I will believe in him.

Some of us need to get to a place where we say, God, it doesn't matter what you do, it doesn't matter if the wind is against me or the wind is for me.

It doesn't matter if I'm high, if I'm low, if I'm on a mountain or I'm in a valley, no matter the season, I will give thanks for what you have given me.

If we can't give if we can't be grateful, if we can't give thanks for what isn't enough, how do we expect him to multiply it into what is more than enough?

We have to be thankful for this is the season, this is the place, and it gives me what I need to carry on.

Jesus gave thanks for.

Something that was never enough.

Not only that, he used something that wasn't enough.

Some of you are so frustrated that you feel like you have so little.

That's what he wants.

That's what he needs.

If you could do it all by yourself, he doesn't get the glory.

The doctors don't know what's happening.

Yes! Yes! Because in that moment, I believe this, for some of us, not for all of us, I wish I could always say always, but it's not the case.

But for some of us, God is gonna do a miracle in your life.

Not that you can get the glory, but that he can get the glory.

And you're like, man, I didn't have it, I didn't have enough.

That's the point.

That's the point.

God does big things with little things.

David and Goliath.

Little David, little Stone, big Goliath.

Goliath goes down.

Sam Samson, little Joel Brown, kills a thousand people.

Little girl, Mary, little Jesus.

Little Carpenter, the biggest man that's ever lived.

God can do much with little.

We need a place where we get a butt-God theology.

Oh, I'm so little, but God.

Man, I don't have what it takes.

But God.

Man, I'm broken.

But God.

The Bible teaches us we need a butt-God theology.

1 Corinthians 1 verse 27, it says this.

1 Corinthians 1:27

But God, say but God.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

You feel weak, great.

Well, he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Man, you feel insignificant?

Awesome.

He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, that no one may boast before him.

Sometimes God is gonna do a miracle in your life in the place that you feel so deficient that when he does it, you will never get the glory, but he will get the glory.

Can I get a good amen?

That's what he wants to do.

He thanked God for what is not enough.

He decided to use what wasn't enough.

Not only that, he broke what wasn't enough.

Do y'all know how many loaves he had?

Seven.

Seven.

Everyone got the count?

How many loaves did he have?

Seven.

Okay, we got it.

Okay.

How many loaves?

Okay.

So he has seven loaves and he feed he fed about 20,000 people.

How many loaves?

Okay.

So we know he has seven.

But then he breaks it.

And when he breaks it, we don't know when, but when he breaks it, we lose count.

So often I've seen this in my life.

Blessing often comes in the breaking.

True blessing, being able to stand confident, I know who my God is.

Joy, I know who my God is.

That often happens in moments where we've seen his faithfulness in areas that we've been broken.

The most blessed people in my life.

I'm not talking about monetary, I'm talking about holistically.

The people that are most blessed are often the people who are most broken.

And sometimes we're like, God, I don't want you to break me.

God, I just want everything to be okay.

God, I want my life to be.

No, no, no, no.

When we refuse to be broken, we refuse to be blessed.

So I'm trying to skirt around something, but God is actually trying to teach me something.

He is trying to test.

We learned about it last week.

God attests, he does.

I wish he didn't.

I don't like tests, but he does.

He uses things, he breaks things.

So he says, Philip, what are we gonna do?

And Philip fails because he looks at himself.

Which is so often what I do.

That's what my dad did.

That's what I did when I first moved here.

I looked and I said, God, I don't have this in me.

God, I don't have what it takes, I don't have the resources, I don't have any of it.

And that was the problem.

Because what's crazy about this whole thing is Jesus comes and he says, You feed them.

And they're like, We can't.

Again, who are you talking to?

Jesus.

Water into wine.

It's like, can you do that?

Jesus, I can't do it, but you did the wine thing.

Do you do bread?

I remember the wine thing.

Like bread.

If you can do it with wine, you can do it with bread.

What's even crazier than this?

If you go to Matthew, the next chapter is the feeding of the 4,000.

Two separate events.

And Jesus comes and he says, Oh my gosh, look at all these people.

What are we gonna do?

He says, You feed them, and they say, We can't feed them.

I'm like, are you kidding?

It's a test.

Jesus, you did it with 5,000.

Can't you do it with four?

Jesus, you did it with wine.

Can't you do it with bread?

Their issue is that they focused where?

Inward.

We look to ourselves for the problems and the challenges that we're facing.

That's the problem.

It's not I am my provider.

It's introducing us to who?

Jesus as provider.

The problem is that the disciples forgot.

My problem is that I so often forget.

Who of you are forgetful?

Oh yeah, me too.

I forget all the things.

So there's a couple things I want you to do, real quick.

There's a couple things that the disciples forgot that I want you to remember.

I don't know what the situation is that you're facing, but if you would just remember, remember, remember, remember, remember.

You'll push through your situation.

Here's the first thing I need you to remember.

I need you to remember his faithfulness.

Can we do that?

Can we actually come to a place where we remember his faithfulness?

All across the Bible, God says, remember, remember, remember, remember.

Why does he say that?

Because we forget.

Deuteronomy 8, verse 2.

Deuteronomy 8:2

Remember, say remember.

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way.

He guided you through the desert these 40 years.

I guided you for 40 years.

I gave you manna for 40 years.

I provided for 40 years.

You really think I'm gonna leave you now?

Really?

No, I need you to remember in the Old Testament when Samuel got victory over the Philistines.

He built an Ibn Ezzel.

What is that?

It is an altar saying, This far God has brought me.

And when I want to walk back, when I want to retreat, when I want to forget, I see these piles of stones and I remember.

Oh no, he was faithful then, and if he was faithful then, he can be faithful now.

And if he was unfaithful in that season, he can be faithful in this season.

And if he was faithful with you, he can be faithful with me.

And if he's faithful with me, he can be faithful with you.

Remember his faithfulness.

But so often we're like, it's crazy.

God, like that one time I was really stressed, and you came through, and then that time you're stressed, and you came through, and that time I was stressed and came, and that time, and that time, and that time, but this time I don't think you can do it because your track record is terrible.

Isn't it so silly?

No wonder Jesus is always like, Why do you doubt?

He's like, You're hanging out with me.

You really don't see this.

Like, why?

Dude, I need you to remember his faithfulness.

What altars do we need to build in our lives that we can be reminded of his faithfulness?

Our job is obedience and taking a step.

His job is faithfulness.

Second thing I need you to remember is this.

I need you to remember the bread.

Say the bread.

I need you to remember the bread.

Got a massive question every time I read the Bible.

I'm always asking the Bible's questions.

Okay.

Why the bread?

Do you ever think about that?

There were 12 basketfuls left over.

Why?

Why the bread?

Do you ever read the Bible and you're just like, why is that the case?

Like, how many of you believe that we serve a precise God?

Anyone?

Like, if he wanted to be exact, he could have been exact.

So why the bread?

I was like, I got it.

Leftovers.

How many of you love some good leftovers?

I'm like, oh my man, some leftovers?

It tastes better the second day.

You know, Thanksgiving, like you want that the second day.

You know, I'm like, oh, I love I love me some leftovers.

But then I started thinking about it.

I love leftovers.

I just don't like yours.

Think about this.

They were eating the bread and now all of a sudden it's it's all getting taken as we put in these baskets and the sun's coming down.

Like it's gross.

Okay?

I'm like, okay, wait, it couldn't have been leftovers.

I'm like, that couldn't have been it.

And then I was like, oh, I get it.

He wanted them to collect it because we don't serve a wasteful God.

It's like recycling.

God really loves recycling.

I was like, okay, that's it.

Like, that's the case.

He he he wants to make sure that we're not wasteful.

The only problem with that is in Exodus, when he did manna, he gave them more than enough.

And what he said was, I need you to take what you need and leave the rest.

It was an exercise of faith because so often we want to get more than we need for that day.

And Jesus says, No, I thought I said that I'm your daily bread, so I'm gonna give you what you need today.

I'm not gonna give you what you need tomorrow because tomorrow I actually need you to trust me for what you need today.

That's why we pray that way.

Give us this day our daily bread.

So I'm like, okay, it couldn't have been about waste.

And then I was like, oh, I got it.

It's because we serve the God of more than enough.

Oh, he was producing more than enough.

I was like, I could preach that.

But if we serve the God of more than enough, everyone would be like, I'm like, yes! I do think that's true, but I don't think that's the point.

Now there's some symbolism here.

John is all about signs.

There are 12 loaves, 12 tribes of Israel.

Jesus provided for the 12.

He still provides to the 12 every nation he provides.

There's some symbolism.

In the feeding of the 4,000, there's seven.

What are seven?

Seven is there's seven basketfuls full.

What is that?

It is the number of completion.

I think there's some symbolism.

But I want you to watch something as we learn about Jesus as our provider.

It's interesting because what happens is Jesus does this miracle, and it says this in Matthew 14, 22.

Immediately, say immediately.

Immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and go ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd.

So he says, take all of these leftovers and get on the boat.

And it says, immediately, say immediately, immediately they get on the boat.

This is the moment where the storm happens and Jesus walks on water.

That's what's about to happen.

Okay?

So the disciples are on the boat, and the boat is going crazy because that cold wind comes, it destabilizes destabilizes the weather, everything's crazy, and they're like, We're gonna die.

And Jesus comes.

And Peter's like, if that's you, and the whole walking on water thing happens when they're fearing for their lives.

But I want you to watch this.

This is crazy.

Mark 6, 51.

He climbs into the boat with them, and the wind dies down, and they were completely amazed.

Wow.

Can you believe Jesus saved us?

Wow.

Can you believe how good he is?

I'm amazed.

I'm amazed.

One version says that Jesus looks at him and he says, Why did you doubt?

Why did you doubt?

Why are you amazed?

Why did you doubt?

52.

They were amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves.

And their hearts were hardened.

It's almost like Jesus gets into the boat.

And he's like, Do you not remember?

It was a couple hours ago.

Really?

You think I did all of that to get you on this lake so that you can die?

You really think I brought you out here so you can die?

You really think I provided and I got you into the space because I'm just planning on leaving you now?

Do you not remember the bread?

Are you so hard-hearted?

Are you so forgetful?

I've shown you.

I've shown you I can provide.

Why do you still doubt?

Why do you doubt?

Let me just say that there's some of us, and we have to get ourselves some bread.

Man, we need to get ourselves some liftovers.

Where he has been so faithful, you need to write some of that stuff down.

And when you're facing something, you need to be like, oh no, no, no, no, no.

I got me some bread.

It might be a different situation.

But if you're a provider, then I know you can be a provider now.

So regardless of what happens, I'm gonna have faith in you.

Our faith is so weak because we're so forgetful.

Because I don't look back and remember.

We have to remember his faithfulness, we have to remember the bread, and then we have to remember that he is the source.

Their failure came in the fact that they were looking at themselves.

Our failure comes when we look to ourselves for what God wants to do.

That's the whole point.

Reminds me of when God calls Moses in Exodus, and he comes up to him and he says, Hey, I need you to go to free the Israelites.

And what does he say?

He says, I can't, I stutter.

And God is like, that's okay.

And he's like, Well, who should I say sent me?

And God's like, I am great.

I am who.

And God's like, you know, I am.

Got the first two words, missed the last word, I am who.

And God's like, I am that I am.

I love God.

Moses was like, what?

Get this.

God is never gonna define himself based on your situation.

But know this that everything that we need, he is.

I am.

You need peace right now?

Great, he is peace.

You need joy right now?

You've been struggling.

Finding your joy.

Waking up every day.

Where's my joy?

He is your joy.

You don't have the strength.

Here's your strength.

You have a question?

He is the answer.

You are broken?

He is healing.

Everything that you need, he is.

And we will always make the same mistake when we look inward and we forget to look upward.

And not only look upward, look backward.

Y'all, he didn't bring you here to die.

He didn't bring you out here to fail.

He's working in your life.

Don't put a period, he's putting a comma.

He's working, he's moving.

May not always look like the way that we want it to, but he's faithful.

He's faithful.

He is provider, he can provide for your physical needs.

This is about that.

But if that's all we think this is about, we've missed it.

Because he also provides for your spiritual needs.

Because right after this whole moment where he calms the waves, he gets to Capernaum, everyone runs over to Capernaum and they say, Do it again.

Meet my physical needs.

And that's when he says, I'm the bread of life.

If I do it again, you will still be hungry.

But if you come to me, you will spiritually you will never be hungry again.

And we're going to all these other kinds of things to fill our hunger.

We're going to all these kinds of things to build our trust.

And Jesus is saying, I am the bread.

You just have to come to me.

So I don't know what it is that you're facing today.

I don't know what you're looking at.

I don't know where you're doubting.

I don't know the places that you feel deficient.

I know there's some place.

Can we just remember how faithful our God is today?

Can we just remember that He has provided before?

And if He's done it before, He can do it again.

If He's done it for them, He can do it for you.

If He's done it for me, He can do it for you.

Can I pray for you?

Lord Jesus, I want to come before you.

I want to pray for every single person in this room.

God, I don't know what it is that they're facing.

I don't know what it is that they're walking through.

God, I don't know the place in their life where they feel deficient.

But Jesus, I pray that you will give them a revelation of you as provider.

Lord Jesus, that if we walk with you, if we trust you, if we walk in step with you, that God, you have the ability.

It doesn't always mean that you will.

It doesn't always mean that it's going to happen in the way that we expect.

But God, we thank you that you can.

And we ask that you can.

As we don't rely on ourselves, but we rely on you.

May we be obedient to who you are.

Help us remember.

Help us remember.

I just want to take a moment.

There might be some people here with every head still bowed and eyes closed.

There's people here and you've never actually experienced this bread of life that is Jesus.

You're far from God, you've been running away.

And he is saying, Can you just come to me?

I want a relationship with you.

I want to save you.

I want to bring you back into relationship with the Father because our sin has separated us.

If you're here and you're not following Jesus, you're far away from him, and you're saying, Man, Brad, today's the day I want to follow Jesus.

I'm gonna ask you to do something bold on the count of three.

No one's looking around.

I just want you to lift up your hand and just say, Hey, Brad, that's me.

We never want to let this moment go by.

Here we go.

One, two, three.

If that's you, lift up your hand.

Thank you.

Man, I love that.

Bold, proud.

I love that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Praise God.

Pray this prayer off to me.

Just say, dear Jesus, I believe that you're the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

I believe you came to this earth, you died on a cross, and you were raised that I may have life.

Jesus, today I give you my life.

I give you my everything.

Be Lord of my life.

In Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name.

Amen and amen.

Welcome to the family of God.

Welcome to the family of God.

Church, can you put your hands together?

Come on for everyone who said that for the first time.