The Gospel of JohnBut What Are They Among So Many? (OR ... Nothing Will Be Lost)

 John 6:1 “After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten."

We must see at least six things here:

1. They saw the miracles.

2. He lifted up his eyes and SAW them.

3. He “PROVES” us.

4. Jesus Christ MULTIPLIES EXPONENTIALLY.

5. They RECEIVED as much as they would

6. Nothing is to be LOST

1. They Saw The Miracles

Verse two: “And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.”

We have seen two miracles so far in the Gospel according to John.

The first miracle recorded in this book [the Gospel of John] was at the marriage in Cana of Galilee where Jesus turned water into wine. [John 2:11] “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.”

There were many at the wedding that had seen the first of the miracles that Jesus Christ did in the flesh while he was on this earth for thirty-three and half years [which is called the First Advent].

The second miracle was when he healed a certain nobleman’s son without seeing him from a tremendous distance [MILES] who was sick to the point of death at Capernaum. [John 4:54] “This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.”

They [THE JEWS] saw the miracles!

This is why the MULTITUDE followed him.
 
• People are out for a free meal!

• People are out for a thrill.

• People are looking for something new and exciting and for something different.

YES! This sinful human nature craves the extraordinary.

And look at this: Jesus Christ draws the crowd to him in the beginning of John chapter six but by the end of John chapter six they are deserting him by the droves [except for those faithful few]. People are so … so FICKLE.

As soon as things get a little hard and all the excitement is gone they will leave you.

They left Jesus.

They will leave you, too.

Now let me ask you this. What about you? Why are you following Jesus? What are your motives? What makes you tick? Will you leave off from following the LORD when things get rough and tough?

These are good questions to ask your selves.

Do you have commitment to the ONE who saved you from HELL?

2. He Lifted Up His Eyes And Saw Them

Verse five: “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him …”

Jesus Christ recognized INDIVIDUALS in that multitude.

Let me explain.

When the SON of GOD left heaven above to come down here to take the form of a man he BECAME like us in our feelings.

Jesus Christ understands what you and I are all about. That is a huge fact.

Not only did the SON of GOD create us but HE subjected himself to all the human frailties that we experience. I mean all of them, FRIENDS.

Turn to [Hebrews 4:15].

PROOF TEXT: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Well, you know something?

This means that God KNOWS us. He knows us through and through.

There is more! He even knows we will fail him because we all have inside us that ever present tendency to forget our commitment to him once we are saved. HE knows what is IN us. Amen! [John 2:24-25] “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”

Get this. What is in MAN is not good. What is in us is SIN! This is us: [Romans 3:10-18]

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

This is us … at our best … in our natural state.

3. He Proves Us

Verse six: “And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.”

This is an established truth. God will prove you! He proved Israel many times. [Deuteronomy 8:2] “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”

 [You will find this theme in Exodus 16:4, 20:20, and at least another dozen times].

Proving and trying are very closely related. David prayed for the LORD to prove and try him. [Psalm 26:2] “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”

God will try you. [Jeremiah 17:10] “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

You ought to want your love proved for HIM.

Something else! God will ultimately TRY our works with fire! [1 Corinthians 3:13] “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”

4. Jesus Christ Multiplies Exponentially

Verse nine: “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?”

The LORD Jesus Christ can take a FEW of something and make them into MANY of something.

Do you see that fact established here? Read verse nine again. “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?”

 He took five loaves of bread and two small fishes, and multiplied them exponentially to FEED five thousand men … plus the women, and plus the children. Never on earth has MAN ever seen such a thing. GOD was manifest in the flesh! Amen. [1 Timothy 3:16]

This is a supernatural thing slapping them [THE JEWS] in the face.

And it is a supernatural event slapping you [GENTILES] in the face through the record [SCRIPTURE] of an event that occurred two thousand years ago [HISTORY]. That is what you are reading here TODAY.

Only God can create something out of nothing. Only God can alter the laws of nature that he himself ordained. Talking about busting all the laws of nature: who do you think held the sun's position relative to the earth STATIONARY [LOCKED SOLID] for twenty-four hours to make the longest solar day [TWO DAYS] on record in violation of all the natural laws of [PHYSICS]?

 [Joshua 10:13] “And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.”

The supernatural slapped them in the face that day. Amen!

[Acts 2:22] “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:”

5. They Received As Much As They Would

Verse eleven: “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.”

There is something critically important to grasp here within our hearts and in our minds.

The LORD distributed here [through his disciples] as much as everyone was willing to receive. It only takes a hungry and willing soul who wants to have his or her thirst forever satisfied. YOU [whosoever] WILL HAVE ALL THAT YOU RECEIVE!

 [John 4:14] “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Do you want to receive him? [John 1:12]

Repent of your sin of UNBELIEF!

Flip the cat the other way!

You can RECEIVE if you REPENT. You can RECEIVE as much as you will [the promises of GOD].

Now consider the promises of GOD that he made to the believer in Jesus Christ in the Bible.

I exhort you to study the BOOK and see them: [2 Corinthians 7:1] “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

6. Nothing Is To Be LOST

Jesus is even concerned with the remnant … or the left-overs from the serving of the meal.

Verse twelve: “When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” 

Literally … nothing was to be lost!

Nothing was to be wasted. This was the WILL of the LORD.

Verse thirteen: “Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.”

And something else: the FRAGMENTS, or what was left-over, were more than what HE started with: “five barley loaves, and two small fishes.”

 I see GOD in this thing through and through!

Do you see GOD, too? Come on now, could this have happened … this miracle of feeding the multitudes [thousands of people] without GOD being in it? 

In another place in Scripture we have this recorded: “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” [Matthew 19:26] Amen!

1. They saw the miracles.
2. He lifted up his eyes and SAW them.
3. He “PROVES” us.
4. Jesus Christ MULTIPLIES EXPONENTIALLY.
5. They RECEIVED as much as they would
6. Nothing is to be LOST

There is more, still yet. Every person who comes to Jesus Christ though he or she is just a has-been, or a left-over, is SEALED, and will not be lost, or left behind. Amen!

Nothing is to be LOST!

In John eighteen verse nine we have this great promise given to us in Scripture. “That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.” 

Everyone that puts their trust into Jesus Christ for salvation will without fail be kept by the power of God until the day that he comes for them. Amen!

“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” [1 Peter 1:5]

KEPT BY THE POWER GOD!
Amen, Amen, Amen!