Sermon 1

As Glenn red these verses, Verse 10-12 really stand out for me…

10 “All your works praise you, Lord;

your faithful people extol you.

11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.”

Can I get an Amen, Amen

   And in today’s Gospel, we read about some of these mighty acts beyond the normal…and Jesus explains why He does these miracles later in the Chapter, so we will discuss this as well.

   But first, we read about the feeding of the 5,000 from 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish…then later that night we read that He walked on water to meet the disciples, after He spent some time alone.

   These are not just healing miracles, which are Godly as well, but changing the physical composition of the universe type of miracles…and all of this pales in comparison to even the forgiving of sins and the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit…but these miracles we read about today…are…well beyond normal!

Let’s read John 6: 1-21, starting on page 97 in the pew Bibles.

1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.

2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.

3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.

4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”

6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,

9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?”

10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.

11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”

13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,

17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.

19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

This is the word of the Lord,

Thanks be to God!

Sermon  

(Miracles Beyond The Normal)

Dear Lord, may the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts and minds be pleasing unto You, our Rock, our Redeemer, and our Friend. Amen (Ps 19:14)

       We’ve talked about the Book of John many times over the past few months.

       In summary…the Gospel of John really seems to invite comparisons of the other Gospels, and as one Theologian said, “the Gospel of John reveals the soul of Jesus”.

It is really a work of art in the world of ancient literature, and it is a favorite of both mystics and philosophers because it appeals to both the heart and mind.

It was written after the other 3 Gospels, and most traditional theologians attribute the author of this Gospel as the Beloved John, the brother of James, and son of Zebedee.

The Gospel of John usually has an eagle as it’s symbol, because it is truly a Gospel that Soars.

It is often discussed by Theologians as having two parts.

One part, the Book of Signs found in Chapters 1 – 12, and the Second part, the Book of Glory found in Chapters 13 – 20.

       So, today’s Gospel reading is right in the middle of the Book of Signs…

….and Chapter 6 is packed full of signs that Jesus is the Son of the Living God…and even ends with a discussion of Jesus to his disciples about His Words, and what they mean….and He tells them that His Words are Spirit and of Life (J6.63)…

Can I get an Amen, Amen

and to break into this discussion, to get this into the disciples minds, He shows them through a series of back to back miracles.

       And here we are, today, discussing the multiplying of food and of walking on water…He was blowing the disciples minds…and drawing them…and other believers…closer, into His way of thinking, in Spirit and Life, eternal Life for those who believe.

       Friends, if you aren’t sure about your salvation and you want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, come up during the hymn following this sermon and see me or Glenn, or if you want a personal prayer, come up here, or raise your hand, and we will come and pray with you.

       Or see me or an Elder after the service. We are common…every day believers…who don’t have much, but what we do have is a faith we want to share…we have heard the Living Word of God, and believe, and we wish to share this joy, and peace of Christ with you.

       …and I love the music we are worshiping with today. Especially the last hymn today, which is my favorite, Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You…also known as Ode to Joy…Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, his final symphony…put to words in the early 1900’s by Henry van Dyke a visiting Pastor to Williams College in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts and is “considered by hymnologists to be one of the most joyous expressions of hymn lyrics in the English Language” for adults and children alike…and I think to myself…how can we not Adore the creator of all, who cared enough to send His Son down here to die for our sins, my sins, and be raised again to overcome death.

       And while He was on earth He gave us His living Words that give us Spirit and life…and these living Words are recorded in the Living Bible.

       And these two miracles were captured in Mark 6 and Matthew 14, but in the Book of John, in the first part where we read about the signs of Christ, we read the explanation of why He gives us signs and words….to give us Spirit and Life…it’s the only book that says this…and it’s in Chapter 6, verse 63…it is quite special this way…and I am thankful Jesus explains this to us.

       Can I get an Amen, Amen.

       Now, to end this sermon and move into the Hymn 292, As the Wind Song, and invite you up for a prayer, or affirmation of faith, I’d like to leave you with a blessing, please bow your heads...

       Dear Lord, you have the Words to eternal life, and we know that Your work in us can accomplish more than we can imagine, so please bring Your Holy Spirit on us, put your Word in our hearts and minds, so “The Words that You have spoken” become for us “Spirit and Life”.

And all God’s people said, AMEN