“The Secret to Abundant Life” (Matthew 14:13-21) - Kingdom Stewardship I -

“The Secret to Abundant Life” (Matthew 14:13-21)

- Kingdom Stewardship I -

Stewardship?

What comes to mind when you think of “stewardship”? You may be thinking of the church’s annual fund-raising drive. Or you may be thinking, ‘I’d rather not deal with these issues’ or, ‘I’m content with what I’m doing.’ Let me tell you something. I share your discomfort. For me, personally, I prefer not to deal with stewardship issues. But I have to, because stewardship is closely interwoven with the healthy understanding of discipleship and the kingdom of God. So, we will set aside the month of October to learn what is kingdom stewardship. Each week I will deliver stewardship message and provide some practical guideline and advice from different resources through a bulletin insert. Particularly on the last Sunday of this month we will celebrate “Stewardship Sunday.” My prayer is that even if we may have come to this place as spectators today, but at the end of the month we will be active participants of and cheerful givers for the kingdom ministry.

“He and I Together”

Basketball player Michael Jordan once got 63 points by himself in one game. After the game, one reporter asked his teammate, Scottie Pippen, “What is the highlight of your life so far?” Pippen answered without hesitation, “This is the highlight of my life that Jordan and I together got 65 points!” Today Jesus’ disciples are almost getting overwhelmed by the great needs of the people around them. One of the disciples says, “Let them go to the villages and buy food for themselves” (15). Another disciple says, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:7) Their money is not nearly enough. Even if they have enough money, still they will not be able to find a place to buy that much bread. It seems to be an insoluble problem. However, I have good news for you. At the end of the story all the people, including the disciples, eat as much as they want, and the disciples pick up twelve baskets of leftover. Jesus and the disciples together feed more than five thousand people. Then, what in the world happened in between? We can find a clue in verse 19. It says, “Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples.” The secret to abundant life is in these four verses – “take,” “give thanks,” “break” and “give.”

“Take”

Firstly, Jesus takes what we bring to him. He takes our five loaves and two fish. Then, what does the five loaves and two fish stand for? It stands for all that we have and all that we are. For the disciples, all that they had on that day were five loaves and two fish. In verse 17, they said to Jesus, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” And Jesus said to them, “Bring them here to me.” In this desperate situation the disciples thought they needed something special or something they didn’t have. But, Jesus said to them, “YOU give them something to eat!” They must have been taken aback. Today Jesus says to us, “You already have something to give.” All of us – whether young or old, poor or rich – have our own five loaves and two fish. God takes what we bring to him, and he uses it in wonderful ways.

The first step to abundant life is to honor God with our five loaves and two fish. The five loaves and the two fish are our daily bread. They might be little but valuable. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” It is not about our money, but it is all about our heart. Then, why do we have to honor God with our wealth? It is because our money and possessions are the most accurate tools to measure where our heart is. In Matt. 6:21, Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” God is speaking to each of us: “Give me your heart!” What are your five loaves and two fish? A. W. Tozer suggests we may discover the answer by responding to the following questions: “What do we value most? What would we most hate to lose? What do our thoughts turn to most frequently when we are free to think of what we will? And finally, what affords us the greatest pleasure?” Based on these four questions, what’s your treasure?

“Give Thanks”

Secondly, Jesus gives thanks to God for what we bring. Jesus takes five loaves and two fish, and he gives thanks for them. Whether they are five loaves, or seven loaves, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that now what we bring to Jesus is taken into his hands. While Jesus was here on earth, he always gave thanks because he believed that the Father God would provide abundantly. So today, in the time of need Jesus gives thanks. He even gives thanks ahead of time! In John 10 after the crowds takes away the tomb stone, he looks up and says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” Jesus truly believed that God always heard him. So, he could give thanks even before Lazarus came out. The second step to abundant life is to choose to give thanks no matter what the circumstance may be today. We can give thanks to God in all circumstances because his will is always good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom.12:2). So in Philippines 4:6-7, Paul exhorts us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” When you are anxious and overwhelmed, stop listening to yourselves. Instead, proclaim the promise of God to your souls. Mediate on God’s goodness and faithfulness. And let the peace of Christ rule in your heart, and be thankful in all circumstances (Col. 3:15).

“Break”

Thirdly, Jesus breaks what we bring to him. He takes our five loaves and two fish. Then, he gives thanks and breaks the loaves. But in fact, before Jesus breaks our five loaves, his body was broken first to become our bread of life. The Bible uses the exact same four verves – take, give thanks, break and give – in the Last Supper. While the disciples were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body!” (Matt.26:26) His body was broken for us. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that the sheep may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Christ was a giver. He gave us all he could give. And now he wants us to be gracious and generous to other people and to God. There are three levels of giving— less than our ability, according to our ability, and beyond our ability. What does it mean to give beyond our ability? The Macedonian Christians in 2 Corinthians 8 can be a good example. Paul writes about them in this way, “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” Out of their trail and poverty, the Macedonian Christians gave the best beyond their ability. Breaking the loaves means giving sacrificially. And giving sacrificially means giving the best, not leftover.

“Give”

Lastly, Jesus gives back what we bring to him. But it is no longer what we brought earlier! The five loaves and the two fish that the disciples brought to Jesus were just for one person. But now, the new five loaves and the new two fish could feed all the people there until they were satisfied. According to John 6 the five loaves and two fish initially belonged to one boy. But, the boy was moved by Jesus’ teaching, and he was willing to offer his five loaves and two fish. Jesus took them and fed the five thousand. After the boy came back home, what do you think he would say to his mom? Would he say, “Mom, today Jesus fed the five thousand”? Probably not! I think he would say with excitement, “Mom, today Jesus and I together fed the five thousand!” As long as we have our five loaves and two fish in our hands, nothing will happen, and we will feel something is lacking in our lives all the time. But, when we choose to give our five loaves and two fish, we will experience the joy and pleasure that the boy had. With or without us, God is moving forward. He is accomplishing his kingdom program. The question is not whether God is moving. The question is whether we will choose to get on board. Are you ready to feed the five thousand with Jesus?