 Tenure Week #2 - A Drop In The Ocean
Before I share anything I want you to play the song I was listening to when I received the text that lead to this message… Song: Out of Hiding - Steffany Gretzinger https://youtu.be/XFkDqQtfs0w You may look at your life and your efforts and say… what I have and what I do is just “a drop in the ocean”… Even at 10 Years this church could be seen as “a small drop in the ocean” when you look at the global church world… This week I heard a quote and it changed my life forever… Mother Teresa said something along the lines of “what we do is a drop in the ocean BUT the ocean is made up of drops”… There are many “drops” out there but there is only one you and your drop is unique and it matters to God… Our church has been “Tenured” and “Established” and though there are many churches in the world there is only one “The Way” and our “drop” is important to all the other “drops” that make up the body of Christ… The song we listened to said "You’ve got your reasons but I hold your peace... you’ve been on lock down but I hold the key”… We all have reasons why we discount or waste the “drop” of our lives but any and all reasons lead to the same place and it isn’t peace or freedom… The peace and freedom is only found when you bring your “drop” to Jesus and He turns your water into wine… My wife Mary sent me a song called “New Wine” and as I was reviewing today’s message it came on and reminded me that Jesus is turning the water of our lives into the wine of communion… It was the first miracle people saw and it’s still happening today… Jesus says you’ve got water and I’ll turn it into wine IF you trust Me and bring it to Me… 1. Your Drop Matters John 6:1-15 1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. 7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" 10 Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. I love this story and usually I like to focus on how how Jesus multiplied to food but still used the disciples to distribute it… This lines up with Wednesday’s bible study in Hebrews 5 and how God places men and women between us and Himself at least for a season and they give us the gifts He has for us and they teach us how to receive directly from Him… I also like to talk about how the disciples had to feed the people FIRST and then they could eat… There were 12 baskets of food “leftover” and what coincidence there were 12 hungry disciples… True disciples of Christ focus on feeding others and they have faith to know that they will never starve… Today though I want to shift the focus to another part of the story and I have a question for you guys… How many of you saw the oceans and seas in this story?… There was the “Sea of Galilee” and the “Sea of Tiberias”… Then there was the “Sea of People” following Jesus hoping that they would “SEE” a miracle… Then there is a small lad who is literally just a “drop in the sea of people”… and he has 5 loaves of bread which are just a “drop in the sea of hunger” represented by 5,000 men plus all the women and children there… The morals to the story is that “Your drop matters” in the sea of needs that are yet to be met… Your loaves & fish in the hands of Jesus can change so many lives if you are willing to surrender them and test them and develop them… The key is that “with childlike faith” this lad was willing to see what Jesus could do with what he had… Most of us spend our lives saying “it wouldn’t make that much of a difference anyway so I might as well not even try”… Trying to end world hunger may be more than you can handle but feeding 1 hungry person 1 meal will still change the world… That drop matters and it especially matters to the 1 person who has some thirst in their life even temporarily quenched… There is something else so important here… When it comes to the “sea of impact” we draw our attention to the Paul’s and the Peter’s and the John’s of the world but there is a “little drop” we can’t overlook here… Verses 8-9 say… 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him (Jesus), 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”… Andrew is only specifically talked about twice in the scriptures… The first time is when he was bringing his brother Peter to Christ and then second time is here when he was bringing a young man to Christ… If you were to ask people about the disciple Andrew most people wouldn’t know anything about him but man does his “drop in the ocean” matter so much… I think when Andrew says… There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?… He is saying it in a condescending way… Imagine your parents know your family could use a little help and especially with groceries so they go out and get a $500 gift card for Ralphs… You come over with the family and as you’re having dinner your mom says “you know we have this gift card for Ralph’s and to be honest we don’t really like shopping there and the closest one is way too far for us to go… would you like it?”… The idea is that she knows before she even starts talking that you are going to snatch that thing up and you are so relieved that your needs are going to be met… In the “sea of fear and ignorance” the disciples are telling Jesus what they can’t do and why and then Andrew slides in and says “Jesus I’ve got this GIFT CARD but what is it among so many?… He knows that Jesus is going to snatch up that GIFT CARD and Jesus is so happy that He is going to be able to meet the need of a young lad to be used and the needs of a hungry multitude… Andrew knew his drop mattered and he didn’t care if nobody ever noticed him or read about him… Proverbs 11:30 he who wins souls is wise. In Matthew 14:18 Jesus says… "Bring them here to Me." We need more drops that bring people to Christ and bring Christ to people… Verses 14-15 says… when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone… See it was the “drop” of a forgotten disciple and the “drop” of a discounted lad that gave Jesus the platform He needed to do something in the lives of a “sea” of people that afterwards wanted to make Him king… Isn’t it crazy to think that your “drop in the ocean” can be used to help people make Jesus King of their lives… 1. Your drop matters 2. You are not the unstoppable drop Every now and then your “drop” is going to fall on stony ground or spill while you’re on the way to quench someone’s thirst or you might even throw it in the sink in a rush instead of pouring it on a plant… God would say this morning don’t dwell on those days… Get up and do something with your “drop” today and don’t worry about being perfect… Lamentations 3:22-23 22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning You and may have wasted our “drop” yesterday or all of last week or for the last couple of years but today His mercies are new… Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed… That means that our “drop” is “Tenured” and “Established” and no matter what we did with it yesterday we wake up today and God says “I have a new drop for you… Bring Me your water and I’ll turn it into wine”… The song we listened to said “As you run, what hindered love will only become part of the story”… My story and your stories are full of testimonies about how the decisions we made with our “drop” had consequences and “hindered love”… Those testimonies are just part of the story and the whole story is one of redemption and hope and victory… Maybe today some of you will write the chapter titled “When I stopped wasting my drop”… Maybe today some of you will write the chapter titled “When He turned my water into wine”… Maybe today some of you will write the chapter titled “When my drop introduced a friend to the King”… Maybe today some of you will write the chapter titled “When my drop made the ocean rise”… There was only one line in the song that doesn't appear on the screen for us to read when we play the YouTube video… The line said “keep on becoming”… I feel like those are the words from Jesus you have to try so hard to hear because the world is trying so hard to drown those words out… Jesus is not mad that we aren’t what we will be… He is mad when we stop becoming what we will be… Hebrews 2:11 says… He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren We are “being sanctified” and He is not ashamed of us when we fall short in the process… So you are not the “unstoppable drop” but you have to keep on becoming… John 6:16-29 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. 22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone-- 23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks--24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" 26 Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." 28 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” So look at the progression of “keep on becoming”… The people realize that Jesus got across the sea without a boat but they don’t really care about that they just want another meal… Jesus says there are two types of meals… Earthly temporary meals and heavenly eternal meals and now that you have begun to come to Me you need to “keep on becoming” what I am trying to transform you into… Now let’s look at the story from the disciples perspective… We know from the other gospels that Jesus comes to them walking on the sea and they are afraid of the waves and afraid of Jesus because they think He is a ghost but they take the next step in their faith and “keep on becoming” who Jesus is transforming them into… They welcome Him into the boat and Peter even steps out of the boat literally putting his “drop” into the ocean… and check this out… Verse 21 says… 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going… This leads me into my last point but as the song said “what hindered love only became part of the story”… Their fear and faithlessness was not the end of the story… Them welcoming Jesus into their fear and faithlessness allowed them to get where they were going very quickly and that was how that chapter ended… So while you are not an unstoppable drop… in the hands of Jesus your drop can’t be stopped… That’s why in Verse 26 Jesus says…"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”… All we have to do is believe in Him… Let me say that a little more biblically… Matthew 19:26 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” We have to stop looking for bread and fish and start looking for the bread of life and fishers of men… 1. Your drop matters 2. You are not the unstoppable drop 3. You’re almost there The song we listened to said “You’re almost home now, please don’t quit now”… In Pastor Alan’s “Tenure” message he shared with us he said that he heard a theologian say that when Jesus was in agony in the Garden of Gethsamene and the angels came to minister to Him that they may have showed Him a vision of all the people who would receive salvation after the cross… We picture God silent when Jesus was asking if there was another way in the Garden of Gethsemane but I can hear the Father saying to the Son… You’re almost home now, please don’t quit now… On Thursday when I got Megan’s text and heard that song it wasn’t Megan and Steffany Gretzinger I heard… I heard Jesus saying “you’re almost home now, please don’t quit now”… I’ve got 50 or 60 more years here on earth but to Jesus its only a second or two before I’m welcomed into heave… Right now the rest of my earthly life is the passion week… Jesus had meals and prayer and laughs and agony that week so in my life when I rejoice He rejoices and when I cry He cries… Romans 12:15 says… 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. The same way that Simon the Cyrenian comes and helps Jesus carry His cross Jesus doesn’t say quit He actually says I’ve been where you are and don’t quit because you’re almost there”… Hebrews 4:15 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Jesus isn’t a coach yelling at us that we can do it… He isn’t like Simon helping us with our cross… He’s within us turning water into wine and He is actually in us bearing our burdens… He’s saying “WE’RE almost home now… Please don’t quit now”… To those who bring their “drop” to Jesus and those who “keep becoming” what He intends them to become listen to what Jesus says to them… John 14:1-6 1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way Now listen to what He says to those who don’t bring their “drop” to Him and don’t “continue to become” what He intends them to become… John 7:33-41 33Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?" 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."41 Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? To one group He says… You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come… To the other group He says… where I go you know, and the way you know… I pray that you listen to this song again and if you haven't done so already that you would give your "drop" to Jesus and let Him turn your water into wine... Today is the day of salvation! The song will say “I saw it all and still I chose the cross… You were the one I saw when I rose from the grave”… Song: Out of Hiding - Steffany Gretzinger https://youtu.be/XFkDqQtfs0w
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