Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 673 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text

-- Brother Thomas: Turn with me to the 6th chapter of John. "After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 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? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do." That's something isn't it? You reckon the Lord's proving us?

( congregational amens ).

Sure He is. I'll guarantee you we need to be careful about boasting, don't we? Because He may prove us and we may fall short. "One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 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. 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.

"When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing would be lost. 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. Then those men, when they had seen he miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world."

There's a lot of things we could bring out in this. I don't know how many we will. I don't have anything written down here but first of all there's a great need. This was people out there in the wilderness and they hadn't eaten anything. I don't know how long they had gone, but quite a while I imagine. But they hadn't eaten anything and of course Jesus was concerned about them. You believe Jesus is concerned about us?

( congregational amens ).

I do. And so He said to Philip, he said, "...Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do." You know the Lord is proving us right now. He's proving us by giving us life, giving us liberty, giving us opportunity. We have opportunity people don't have in many places and God is blessing us.

( congregational amens ).

I was glad to hear that news that Jimmy shared with you this morning because that's tremendous. We don't solicit that. It just comes and somehow or other God gets it to people and they desire to hear this. They desire to be included in our plans. So that's great isn't it?

( congregational amens ).

We can believe the Lord is in it when we don't do anything to get it. We don't need no politics, no tricks, no gimmicks. We don't send any striped candy out if they write in and yet God's doing it. And we can be free to try to meet the need, can't we?

( congregational amens ).

Now that's what happened here, you see. They saw all these people, Jesus did, and of course He was gonna just prove them. So He said, "...Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? This he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do." Now we have a great sovereign God. He knows what we're gonna do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year if we're here. He knows exactly, don't He? He's the one we need to look to. He's the one we need to call on.

Now Philip, first of all, there's a lot of things here that we can draw a lesson from, "Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little." Now in other words he saw the need and it was so great until in his human reasoning, he said there's no way we can do it. Now you know that's unbelief. That's what we do I suppose in most cases but we need to realize that we have everything that God wants us to have and that we don't have to start where we don't have but we start where we are.

( congregational amens ).

We start with what we have. Faith does not wait until you get everything in hand or in tow. Faith starts here. Faith starts with what you have. Faith starts with what you don't have. Faith just starts.

( congregational amens ).

That's faith. That's the definition of faith and I was just thinking. Some of this I can relate to because I remember when the Lord saved me. I was so concerned. This was something inside of me. The Lord must have put it there because I ordinarily I wouldn't have had it. But I went out and I thought I was supposed to go out and preach and go from house to house and that's what I did--no car, no money, no salary, no nothing but the Lord. When you got Him you got a majority.

( congregational amens ).

So I went out and the Lord blessed. I had no church affiliation, no denomination, no nothing, but God undertook. He saw that I was doing what I could do with what I had and what I didn't have. Faith does not wait. Faith moves whenever the need is made known. Faith takes what it has and takes what it does not have and it moves. And that's what we have here.

Now the reaction of the disciples was typical of mankind, unbelieving mankind. It says he looked and them and said, "...but what are they among so many?" He looked at the five barley loaves and two small fishes and he looked at the multitude of 5,000 people. He said, why, goodness, there's nothing we can do, nothing we have to do with. They didn't have any but when you take something and put in the hands of Jesus, it will feed the multitude.

( congregational amens ).

It will be sufficient and that's what we need to realize that we have all we need. Just don't worry about how you gonna do it or how God's gonna do it. He'll do it.

( congregational amens ).

All right. Now it seems that, "...Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?" At least he did look and he saw the five loaves and the two small fishes but then he looked back at that crowd and he said, "...but what are they among so many?" And I know that was a hard obstacle to overcome to somebody who didn't have that kind of faith. But the Lord moved in. He intervened. "And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So men sat down, in number about five thousand." How'd you like to have the job of feeding 5,000 with them few loaves and fishes?

( laughter ).

I'd hate to wouldn't you? I'd want a whole bakery. Oh me. But anyway they sat down and got them ready. Now that took faith to do that, but he did anyhow. And it says, "When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." Jesus didn't want to see anything go to waste so He said gather 'em up and we'll take this and have it for tomorrow. He didn't say that but evidently He had a use for it didn't He? And it says, "When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 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."

He used what He had. I was just thinking. Now He had twelve disciples that made the men sit down there in groups, about 50 in a group I believe. And He said now feed them. And I just imagine they started out, my gosh. They couldn't have more than one loaf in a basket and you got five baskets there that didn't have nothing in it.

( laughter ).

I imagine He broke them and says, well I'll put just half of one in there. But anyway every time He put something in those baskets a hand came up from somewhere and filled it up. That was the Lord and that's the way it is when you move in faith. God moves with you. That don't mean you just run out and do anything but there was a need here and they saw the need.

And I know back yonder whenever I started out walking I didn't have no church. I didn't have no denomination. I didn't have anything. I just started. Well, first of all I tried man's ways. I was gonna go to school to learn how to preach. And I went down there and stayed there a week and had to leave after a week. I didn't have anything going so I prayed, I sought the Lord and finally the Lord told me, He said, what about that little church that kind of wanted you to go there a couple, two or three weeks before? So I went back to that church and I told them exactly what the Lord told me and they said, well, come on and that's where I started my preaching, a little Baptist church. It's a big church today and God blessed. And then I got called to another church. I didn't stay in the churches long cause I'd always have a fight before I'd been there very long. The deacons would get against me or something would happen and so I'd have to leave and go to another one and stir up the same devil.

( laughter ).

Because the devil is in all of 'em just about it. I don't say that just to be negative or critical but it's true. If you go anywhere where there's people and you preach the word of God you're in trouble, but it's true. Do you know why there's so many splits into splinters today? Do you know why we got 10,001 different denominations? Do you know why? It's Babylon. It's Babylon. That's what it is. Babylon just means confusion and if we were led of God we'd all speak the same thing. We all have the same doctrine. We'd have the same Jesus, but we don't. We don't have the same spirit. And today if a young preacher thinks he's called of God to go out and do a work, he wants to know what church he can get or where they need a church. He'll go and build one and then he starts. What about when you ain't got nothing? You can start from ground zero can't you?

( congregational amens ).

And that's exactly where I started. I started holding prayer meetings in houses. People would gather, you know. There was a few interested people that would come and so I'd hold those prayer meetings and they would come. And then, I don't remember the first church, let's see...well I did try to pastor a couple of churches but it didn't do any good. I had to leave after a little bit. And then I moved to Macclenny and I built that church that's there today called Faith Baptist Church. I still had the name Baptist. Of course the Lord wanted to deliver me from that. And He did 'cause Jesus, in spite of what they claim, Jesus wasn't a Baptist. He wasn't a Methodist. He wasn't a Presbyterian. He wasn't a Lutheran. He wasn't a Catholic. What was He? He was a man sent from God and I believe today that there are a few men that's sent from God and they have God's message.

( congregational amens ).

Amen. They understand when they see these things transpiring before their eyes. They know when to do something and then they move to do it. That's what happened here. So Philip, it seems, passed the test. "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said..."--Now note this is what Jesus said--"...Make the men to sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand." That's quite a few to feed with two small fishes and five barley loaves but he obeyed. Now that's the crisis test when you will move to do something. You move in that direction, knowing you don't have anything to do it with. That's what I did. I did that. I went out. I didn't have no church to go to. I didn't have anybody to send me, didn't have no salary but I went out and God went with me. I'm thankful for that, aren't you?

( congregational amens ).

And I took my two small fishes and five barley loaves with me and I broke 'em up and I begin to give out a little bit wherever I went and the Lord went with me and He blessed me and He blessed what I did.

( congregational amens ).

I didn't go to school. I didn't go to get any theological diplomas of achievement. I just went out. God is a faithful God.

( congregational amens ).

This is another thing. You know people that are thinking about coming to Christ, they're waiting for something to happen. They don't know what. It's some hypothetical something that's supposed to take place or they're supposed to get some kind of feeling or something or it's supposed to happen and then they'll get saved. That ain't it. You start with what you don't have. You start now. You throw yourself upon the mercy of God because of his love not because of what you've done but because of what He's done and what He is doing. And you throw yourself upon His mercy and He does not let you down.

( congregational amens ).

Hallelujah! He lifts you up and He puts His Spirit in you. I was reading last night. You know somebody wrote in about me and wanted to know how you're filled with the Spirit, what all you did, so on and so forth. I'll repeat what I believe. Now this is in spite of the fact that there's all kinds of experiences--all kind of experiences that people have had you know in religion and in coming to the Lord. I believe when you receive Jesus Christ, here's what the Word of God says, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

( congregational amens ).

You can't get any more when you get Jesus, if you really get Jesus. But people are not told that. They say now you need to get sanctified. He's, "...made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" He is. You got everything that God has when you take His Son.

( congregational amens ).

And it's just a matter of looking to Him. He's your Lord then and He's gonna lead you, He's gonna bless you and He's gonna help you out in those bad places that you have to go through in this life. That's because He's your Lord and He's a capable Lord and He's a loving Lord. He won't let you down.

The one thing God will not do, He will not let faith go untested. Faith whenever it's exercised it draws the attention of God. Don't worry about it. He'll be faithful, just give Him the time and do what you can in the meantime, see. Don't worry about that. Don't worry about what you're gonna do because that wouldn't be faith if you had everything orchestrated and set out one by one or A, B, C. That wouldn't be faith at all. Faith starts when you ain't got nothing. Amen.

All right. That's what we did here. They happened to have five barley loaves and two small fishes. Now the first three asked him, "...but what are they among so many?" Now Jesus ignored that, that statement of unbelief but He said, "...Make the men sit down..." They sat down. There was a lot of grass there, "...there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 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. When they were filled..." That means that 5,000 people were filled. Boy that stuff had to multiply, didn't it? Well that's it. God will multiply your opportunities. He'll multiply your usefulness. He'll multiply what you do. That's the God we have. Don't use nothing as an excuse. God wants you.

( congregational amens ).

He wants you. Don't worry about how he does it or when is he gonna do it. He will do what he purposes to do. He'll get glory to Himself and He'll exalt you in the process. Think about it. That's the goodness of God. Now they, "...filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This of a truth that prophet that should come into the world."

I believe today we have a few men to be classified as a prophet. Prophet don't necessarily mean he's prophesying all the time but it's a forth telling. In other words he can take the Word of God and the inspiration of God and give you the Word for that time and that place. Of course there may be mixed in it some things that are prophetic in nature but God wants you to use what you have. God is speaking to you. God is speaking to you. God is speaking to you. He's speaking to us and He's inviting us. If I'm inspired of God then God has something for you that are hearing this.

(congregational amens ).

Amen. Now notice now he got back more than He gave out. That's another thing. Yea. I started out, I didn't even have a bicycle. Now I got a Cadillac sitting out there.

( laughter ).

I didn't even have a bicycle. I walked but I used what I had. I didn't have anything and I don't think we had a lot to eat, had enough. But God is faithful. It's amazing at how the Word is going out. This is being taped here today and it will go out, only the Lord knows now many places. And it's not something that I solicit or something I plan. It's God. Just like this new outlet that Jimmy is telling me about. He told you about it this morning, how many nations? Fifteen nations. English is just about the universal language in the world today. It comes as near being the universal language as any language there is.

So I don't know how many are out there but I'll say this, God has them in mind, every one of 'em. He knows every sheep that's out there and He said--Jesus did, I didn't, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." So it's safe isn't it? We got a product that's safe. We got a product that won't stale. It won't perish. That's eternal life. That's Jesus Christ.

( congregational amens ).

Personally I don't believe in this religion you can lose. If you got something you can lose, go ahead and lose it and come get some of mine.

( congregational amens ).

Get some of mine because you can't lose it. You say, well can you do as you please? Yeah, but God's gonna work on your pleaser.

( laughter ).

He's gonna work on your pleaser and when He gets though with you, you'll please to please Him. Amen.

( congregational amens ).

I'm not serving God because I have to. I'm serving God because I want to.

( congregational amens ).

He worked on my want to. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And I took the little loaves and fishes I had back yonder and God blessed it. I have no idea how many people are hearing the Word today as a result of this ministry. When I say this ministry I don't mean mine--His ministry through me. It's going out and it will continue to go out. If you have the Lord on your side and you move in Him don't worry about the result. He'll do the rest and He'll spread it out. He takes a little bit. He takes the loaves and the fishes and they feed the multitude. Hallelujah.

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