Miracles Part 2

It's been awhile, but I wanted to get back to sharing with you from our Miracles series.  In John 6 we find one of Jesus' more famous miracles, the feeding of the 5,000.  

In the story, we see that a huge crowd has gathered, and the disciples panic a little because they don't know how they're going to feed them all, and in the midst of all of this Jesus asks a question..."where are we going to buy enough food for these people to eat?"  I like to think Jesus was messing with the disciples here, because my Jesus is funny like that.  However, verse 6 gives us insight into why He really asked this question.  

John 6:6 - He asked this only to test them, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.

1. Jesus already has your miracle in mind - Whatever it is that you're going through, the Lord hasn't been got off guard by it.  He's not in a state of panic, wondering how He's going to get you through your problem.  When you're walking through a difficult season in your life...when you find yourself in need of a miracle...keep this one thing in mind.  The God of your last miracle, is the God of your next miracle.  He wasn't caught off the guard the first time around.  He's not this time around either.

John 6:9 - The disciples round up some food...5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to be exact.  The disciples bring Jesus the food with one major point of clarification...they looked at Jesus and said, "it's not enough."  But the truth is this.

2. Whatever you've got left to offer is enough - You may be reading this and you're emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained...you're tired of fighting, tired of praying, tired of waiting for things to change.  You simply don't feel as if you have anything left to offer.  Whatever you have left is enough...give it to the Lord.  Worship one more time, pray one more prayer, bring what you have to Him.  

We give the disciples a hard time in this story, but at least they brought the food to Jesus.  Don't play God with your miracle...don't try to determine whether or not you have enough to offer.  Your job is to bring what you have, His job is to multiply it. 

As we approach Thanksgiving, this is a time to remember all the blessings we have in our lives, a time to remember the miracles we've received in previous years.  As you are thanking God for these past blessings and miracles, let your faith be strengthened as you remember that He's always been there for you and will be again this time as well. 

Miracles

We're currently in a series called miracles.  I'm having a blast with the series and we're seeing God move in the lives of our people.  Because this series has been both encouraging and challenging to me personally, I wanted to use the next few blog posts to share some of what we've been learning at Solomon's Porch.

Week 1-Lazarus

John 11:6 When Jesus heard Lazarus was sick he stayed where he was two more days.  During that time, Lazarus went from sick to dead...however, if you know the story, you know Lazarus lived again.  Lesson...A delay of the miracle doesn't mean a denial of the miracle.  Keep praying...keep believing...your miracle may be delayed but it doesn't mean it has been denied.

The thing that stuck out to me the most in this miracle is found in verse 39...Jesus turned to the crowd and told them to "move the stone."  Lesson...sometimes our participation is requested.  Time after time in scripture we often see that action from our side is needed before we see action from God's side.  Moses had to raise his staff before the sea parted.  A miracle is something only God can do, but it doesn't mean we get to just sit back and wait for God to move.  Many times we need to move some stones before we see our miracle.  Instead of waiting for your miracle to just happen, maybe you should ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there's any action you should be taking.

Maybe the thing that brings about your financial miracle is a change in the way you handle your money...move that stone.  If a passive approach to your miracle hasn't worked, maybe there's a reason for that.  Take some action and walk towards your miracle.

For the entire sermon click here.