Oil, Fish and a Shepherds Staff

Our mandate as followers of Jesus is :

To help our friends discover the grace of God and live according to the commands of Jesus

We gather together for collective worship and also in smaller groups to nut out the nitty gritty of life and help each other to love each other and to build a strong sense of belonging and community.

As we  build community its also important to remember that we live within a large community of people who don’t really understand what the grace of God really is.

As I have been thinking about some of this I realise more and more that God doesn’t make this stuff hard – we do. 

And so to today's message. 

A staff, some fish and some oil

So

Moses – Briefly the story -  Exodus 3 and 4

Widow of Zarephath – Briefly the story – 1 Kings 17:8-16

Loaves and the fishes – Briefly the story – John 6:1-15

Using the ordinary

So often we see that God simply uses what we already have. It doesn’t have to be special

We think we need more training, more understanding etc and in the right time and place that is good, but actually, we all have things that might seem quite ordinary, and simple, but its amazing how God can use that.

A simple idea you have, a gift or talent, etc that we can use

For Moses, who had all the excuses in the world, it was his staff that he had.

4 But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

2 Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

3 “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

4 Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

5 “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.”

Staff and the rod were used by shepherd both to control the sheep and direct them in the right way and they were also used to fight off wild animals that would be prowling around to attack the sheep (picture of staff)

So the rod and the staff of Moses was something that as a shepherd he was familiar with, he carried it as part of his job in much the same way as a cricketer would have his bat with him, or a business woman would carry a bag.

The point is that God used what he had at hand.

God uses this approach so often

When Jesus was feeding the five thousand plus people – he used what was available – what was given to him by the boy

There was nothing miraculous about the fish and loaves. (probably sardines according to commentators) (picture of sardines)

But he offered up what he had and Jesus took what was very ordinary and created something extraordinary.

(Never underestimate what God can do through children – they offer what they have so much more easily than we do. I think that is why Jesus said we are to be like little children. )

Also the Widow of 1 Kings 17

She was looking at starvation, she had a small plan of action that seemed futile. There was nothing special about the flour and the oil. They were every day staple items.(Picture of flour and oil)

Yet When Elijah came, God used what she had to provide not only for her but for others as well

What is it that we have in our hands that seems small and insignificant?

Earlier in the year some of our Community initiatives team did some training and we did an exercise around what we have in our hands. (Picture of the word mountain)

It’s amazing what we all carried, all from different walks of life and all at different ages and yet there were experiences and learning that we already had available.

What is it that we have – sometimes we know – The little boy saw what he had. Sometimes we know what we have and don’t know how to use it – the widow, and sometimes we have to be told like Moses.

What is the same for each of these is that something ordinary was made extraordinary.

 

God created the opportunities

When we look at these stories we see that though God uses what we have and what we give to him, he is the one that creates the opportunities.

It was God who called Moses from the burning bush

Exodus 3

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,[a]the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai,[b] the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father[c]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

It was God who sent Elijah to the widow

1Kings 17

The Widow at Zarephath

8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”

12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

And it Jesus who said – you feed them.

John 6

6 After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. 3 Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. 4 (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.)5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

“I’m nothing special – I’m just an ordinary person” – is what we often hear.

We see over and over again that God creates an opportunity with ordinary things and ordinary people.

But God takes the ordinary, creates the opportunity and asks us to step into it.

Paul encourages the Colossians to make the most of the opportunities. He prays that he too will be given opportunities by God to speak for him.

Colossians 4:2-6

An Encouragement for Prayer

2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a]so that you will have the right response for everyone.

 

As we pray, as we seek God, as we live wisely, God creates opportunities for us to step into. Gracious and attractive conversation is party of living wisely. 

Pray for opportunities, and look for the opportunities that God is creating for us to step into.

 

What is your “But I’m…”

As I’ve already said we often say things like:

“I’m nothing special – I’m just an ordinary person”.

But God takes the ordinary, creates the opportunity and asks us to step into it.

Feeding the 5000 plus

The little boy did not say – “how can we feed this many people with the small fish  and bread”.

He said – “this is what I have” and he was prepared to give it to God to use.

It was Andrew and Philip the other disciples who looked at it and said – “How can we feed all these people with this!?”

Perhaps we can be more like the small boy who instead of saying “this is not enough” offered what he had. John 6

The widow of Zarephath  - said “this is all I have – I’m going to use it and die” Elijah said – Make something for me and you will have enough.

The widow had to be prepared to give up what she was making for herself and her son – think about it – she knew she only had enough for two, but she was being asked to feed three so someone was going to miss out.

But she chose to give up what she had and God took it and multiplied it. Not just once but many times over each day, so that everyone had enough and they were able to survive a really difficult time.

Moses’ “But I’m’s…” were so plentiful

I’m not good with words,

I can’t speak

They won’t listen to me etc

Do these sound familiar.

We don’t always say them out loud, but I can just about guarantee we’ve all thought something and told ourselves something like this at some stage.

God got jack of it after a while. And he said – “What is in your hand..”

What is your own personal “BUT”.

(I’m tempted to say “just get over it” and give it to God to use).

We all have reasons why not.

I’m old, young, uneducated, tired, can’t write, don’t have enough…….

What’s your personal reason, your ‘”why not”

Le’ts look at it differently

Instead of looking at the “why nots” simply say, “Why not give it a go?” 

 

Obedience

Lastly

Jesus didn’t call us to be Good enough – he called us to a relationship of love and obedience

John 15:9-14

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 

The Miracle comes from obedience

Moses was obedient to God’s call – and many miracles happened.

The widow was obedient –

Vs 15 – She did as Elijah said.

The boy with the loaves gave up his lunch for others.

Jesus prayed and the disciples – in obedience - handed it out. The miracle happened, not when Jesus prayed but when the disciples were obedient.

Matthew 14:19-21

19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

For the widow and the boy with food, they used what they had available, were willing to give up what they had and God gave back in abundance.

God takes the ordinary and creates the extraordinary.

What ordinary thing do we have in our hands that God can make extraordinary?

Armour of God

Ephesians 6:13-17 NLT
Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. [14] Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. [15] For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. [16] In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. [17] Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Belt - Truth - mentioned first - truth of who Jesus is, what he has done, who we are in him. This is first and foremost the greatest part of the armour because it reminds us of the truth of God and is the starting point.

Body Armour - representing the righteousness that comes from Christ and wraps us round protecting us and our heart. Covering our heart - relationship - Jesus' righteousness not our own.

Shoes - good news - ppreciated to take it into places that don't yet have the news of Jesus. When we have our shoes on we are ready to walk anywhere we need to go, prepared with the truth of the good news, protected by His righteousness.

Shield - faith - held up against enemy attack. Standing firm in faith - knowing we have our hearts protected, holding his righteousness around us and standing in truth.

Helmut - protection for our heads - right thinking - enables us to live transformed lives - thinking is protected - salvation - assurance - God's thoughts transforming our mind.

Sword - of the Spirit - word of God - sharpened and ready to use - a weapon of attack - God's Spirit brings the right words - God's word - at the right time to speak to the situation.

Truth
Righteousness
Good news
Faith
Salvation
The Word

Know the truth. Live in God's righteousness.  Share the good news. Live by faith.  Saved in right mind by grace. Know the Word of God.

We fight the enemy by understanding and applying these 6 things to our lives, not just occasionally but at all times.

In addition, pray in the spirit, stay alert - watchful - persistent in prayer for believers.

Devotional thought.

Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family. [20] Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. [21] We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. [22] Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Citizens - from the same place, belonging to that same group of people (benefits and responsibilities of citizenship)

What are the benefits of our citizenship and what are our responsibilities?

E.g responsibilities to kingdom and it's King.

God's family - those gathered in Christ (belong to him) in the same family.

As a family there are benefits and responsibilities .

What are the benefits and responsibilities of families?

E.g Security, everyone works together - different roles and responsibilities, different gifts, given for the building up of others.

We have a strong foundation - secure.

Becoming a holy temple - carefully joined together for him (not for ourselves) - Fitted together perfectly

We are made citizens and built into a dwelling where God is honoured by us and found by others.

What are the implications of being built together?

Thoughts from Jonah

A couple of days ago I read through Jonah. Today I'm processing some thoughts around the last part of Jonah. We so often focus on the story of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish that we can miss the real point of Jonah.

Yes, we can learn about obedience and the consequences of lack of obedience through the first part of the story. Jonah's lack of obedience had a huge impact on him and our lack of obedience can too.

But let's think about what was happening in this situation. There is more going on than just lack of obedience. God needed to address the issues in Jonah's heart towards people.

God sent Jonah to preach to a city that was full of sin. God was planning on destroying the city because of the sin. When Jonah finally got there, and gave them God's word, the people received the message, believed it and repented. God, seeing the hearts of the people, with his love for them, showed them grace and spared them from destruction.

Surely this is a great outcome. But Jonah was not happy. He wanted God to destroy the people, to bring judgement on them the way he thought God should do it. How often do we want God to do things our way when God has something different in mind?

God's message to the people had brought repentance and salvation. Yet Jonah was not happy. God then provided a powerful lesson while Jonah was sulking, to help Jonah understand just how important people really are to him.

He allowed Jonah to find shade under a small plant, but Jonah was upset when it died and he was left to scorch in the sun. He complained to God. Notice how his focus was on him alone and not on others or even on God. Here is God's response. 

Jonah 4:10-11 NET
The LORD said, "You were upset about this little plant, something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day. [11] Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals!"

God had to show Jonah, that people matter to him. In fact people matter immensely to God, more than we can really grasp or understand. Ninevah had many thousands of people. People who mattered to God and should have mattered to Jonah.

 People matter to God and should matter to us. Just as we are important to God, and loved by him, people who don't yet know his love and grace matter also and are loved by him. He wants them to know him, he does not want any person to perish.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 NLT
This is good and pleases God our Savior, [4] who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. [5] For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity-the man Christ Jesus. [6] He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

God is more interested in the lost* than we could ever be but he calls us to love them, to pray for them and to share life with them so that they also would know him.

This is the lesson Jonah had to learn. The people of Ninevah mattered to God. He cared about them and loved them. He forgave them when they turned to him. People still matter to God. He still loves them and sent Jesus into the world to make a way for them to come to him. We have been given a message of hope and grace for the world. A message of salvation.

Matt 28:18-20 NLT
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Like Jonah, we have a choice. We can run away from the call to speak God's message to people living far away from God, or we can embrace it, and be joyful when they discover God's saving grace. Then we have the opportunity to walk with them on the journey of discipleship towards maturity in the faith.

We can be so consumed by our own lives, so focused on our own comfort that we can think it's all about us. But God says to us, people still matter. There are thousands, many hundreds of thousands of people, in cities and countries in our own nation and all around the world that are yet to hear the message of God's love for them, who as yet have no way to discover the grace of God for themselves.

They are more important to God than our personal comfort. Are they more important to us than our personal comfort?

We have a message of hope, a message of grace that the world needs to hear, a message that God is asking us to take to others. Will we put aside our own comfort for the lives of other people?

(*Lost people are people who do not have a relationship with God that is based on who Jesus is, what he did for us through his death and resurrection and have then placed their hope for salvation in Jesus alone, thus beginning the journey of discipleship as a follower of Jesus)

Listening

James 1:19-20 NLT
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. [20] Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

How quick to listen are you? Listening is an art and a discipline. Its an art because when we listen well it produces something beautiful.

It is a discipline, because it takes practice ti do it well.

A Thought

"Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”"
Joshua 3:5 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jos.3.5.NLT

We live in a different time and culture to Joshua and the Hebrew, the Israelites,  who after journeying in the wilderness, were now entering the promised land. Yet there is a principle here: purify yourselves. How do we do that?  How do we live righteously before God.

The Word of God gives us the answer. We come before God, confess our sins and let his righteous life cleanse us and make us whole. He promises to purify and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The apostle John makes it clear in his first letter. Fellowship with God and each other is the result of faith in Jesus. It is faith in Jesus and his sacrifice for us which cleanses us from all sin.

 "But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."
1 John 1:7‭-‬9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.1.7-9.NLT

Once we understand this we can stop striving to try and please God by our own means and by striving to be good enough for God by our behaviour. Instead, by grace, God through his love, and the work of his Spirit, enables us to grow and to change by changing the way we think, (Rom 12:2) and thus our behaviour changes. We see life differently and live differently, by grace and not works.

Grace is not reliant on works and striving. We are saved by grace, we live by faith, and we are then able to live in obedience to God by the power of his spirit in us and do the works he prepared for us.

 "Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
Philippians 2:12‭-‬13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/php.2.12-13.NLT

Paul is keen for followers of Jesus to understand the great power that is at work in us. It is the very power of God, his Spirit, at work enabling us to love him and live for him. Paul also encourages us in to live out of the new nature God has given us. We have become new creations (2 Cor 5:17) and are now made righteous by Christ.

 "Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."
Ephesians 4:21‭-‬29 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.4.21-29.NLT

Paul tells us that we will be able to live differently because of what Jesus has already done, and therefore we can choose to live differently, no longer live like we did in the past. Sometimes old habits are hard to break. But Paul says to "put on your new nature". Let God show you where you need to change your behaviour. It is a daily choice to live in our new nature, not to gain salvation but because God in his grace and mercy had already given it to us.

A widow, an act of obedience and a miracle

2 Kings 4:1-7 NLT
One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, "My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves." [2] "What can I do to help you?" Elisha asked. "Tell me, what do you have in the house?" "Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil," she replied. [3] And Elisha said, "Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. [4] Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled." [5] So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. [6] Soon every container was full to the brim! "Bring me another jar," she said to one of her sons. "There aren't any more!" he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. [7] When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, "Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over."

In this account of the widow, the prophet asks her "what do you have?" All she had was a small amount of oil. The prophet instructs her to gather jars and pour her small amount of oil into them. Notice that God required a small act of obedience. She needed to get jars from her friends and pour oil into them.

"And she did as she was told". These words stood out to me today. I've read this story often, but today this small sentence was powerful. It seemed such a small thing. A small act of obedience but this small act changed her life in a powerful way. It gave her and her family a future.

It is this small act of obedience that brings the miracle.

As I read this I wonder:

Are we really prepared to do what God asks of us?

Sometimes we want God to perform a great miracle for us when what he is actually asking for is a small act of obedience. A small act that uses what we already have. That small act of obedience can create the change and the miracle that sets us on the right trajectory for the testy of our lives.

A couple of questions.

What is already in our hands that God can use?

What small act of obedience is God asking us to carry out?

My challenge is to look at what we already have. View it as God sees it, offer it to him,  and act in obedience.