Bro Bill Wednesday Evening 8/3/11

Bro Bill Wednesday Evening 8/3/11

Deu 26:1  And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;

Deu 26:2  That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.

Deu 26:3  And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.

Deu 26:4  And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.

Deu 26:5  And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

Deu 26:6  And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

Deu 26:7  And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

Deu 26:8  And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

Deu 26:9  And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

Deu 26:10  And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:

They were instructed to bring the first fruits of the land before the priest who would set it before the altar and they were also instructed what words to say. 

I wonder if the reason they were instructed to tell the story of how they were in Egypt and were brought out was to remind them of the good things that He’d done for them. 

God wants us to bring fruit unto Him.  Our works and our productivity is our fruit.  God wants us to give our lives and beings unto Him so that we are doing something for God.  In doing this we are doing for each other. 

As I get older my mind is impressed to use the years that I have left, whether I live to be seventy or if this is the last day you see me.  Maybe I’ll retire from working at the school or maybe I’ll go home in a real short time.  That is the way life is.  Those you love may leave to go to work and that may be the last time you see them; this is how life works. 

In the years that we have left let’s ask God to please help us to use our time wisely.  Not spin our wheels just to do works, works, works, but that we are productive to work for God and do as He would like us to.

The biggest strawberries we picked this year were the first ones.  As time went on they got smaller and smaller.  Let’s give God our best not the left overs.

Joh 6:1  After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

Joh 6:2  And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

Joh 6:3  And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

Joh 6:4  And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

Joh 6:5  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?

Joh 6:6  And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

Joh 6:7  Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

Joh 6:8  One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

Joh 6:9  There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Joh 6:10  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.

Joh 6:11  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.

Joh 6:12  When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

Joh 6:13  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.

We see a picture here, looking at the other gospels that recorded this story I see more added to this picture.   The people had been with Jesus for some time.  The disciples told him to send the multitude away that they may go to the city and get food.  Jesus told them to go and see what food was available. 

The disciples had to do some searching to try to find the food.  They must have asked around to see if there were any that had food to share.  There may have been those that wouldn’t share because they only had enough for themselves.  There was one lad that gave all that he had.

This miracle was done by the giving of the lad, not because of the lad’s natural ability; he was just a lad.  He probably didn’t have an education.  Doing for God will not be hinged on our natural ability.

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

Sufficient means enough to meet the need of the situation or a proposed end. 

We are not enough to meet the need of the situation.  We do not have what it takes to do what needs to be accomplished for God.  Our sufficiency is of God. 

This is one of the things that will help us to be successful.  Realize that without Him we can do nothing.  Unless God anoints there is no food for a soul in a lesson or message.  It hinges on God.  We just have to be the vessel. 

This lad was just a lad that supplied his basket.  This is all that we can do: rely on God and supply our basket.

2Co 10:7  Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

2Co 10:8  For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

2Co 10:9  That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

2Co 10:10  For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

According to this last verse, “His bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.”  Paul was able to accomplish wonderful things.  Maybe Paul had a little squeaky voice and was as skinny as a rail and 5 foot 4.   

Reading in the commentaries it gives this impression as well. 

To look at some individuals you may see the charisma and the full head of hair.  Aren’t you glad that serving God doesn’t count on that?  It doesn’t matter what our pedigree is, if we will humbly bring our basket to him and be submissive to His will He can do whatever He wants of us.

Barley was only worth about 1/3^rd of the value of wheat.  Yet they were filled with barley loaves.

This boy had a willing heart.  I don’t perceive the disciples going to him and yanking the food from his hands.  The boy gave willingly. 

1Ch 29:5  The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?

Who is willing to consecrate?  You just be that willing vessel when there are work parties if you are able physically then you be there working.  When the church is in something, we need to be in it.  When there are helpers needed and you are able to help, be there bringing your basket. 

As you are capable, make yourself available to God.  In the story of the talents, as God gives you what he does and as you make yourself available in that way, God will add things to you.  As you make yourself available then after it is over you say, “I know how to do that now.” 

Because you made yourself available, you add something.  As you are faithful in another way then you add something else.  The one that buried his talent and didn’t use it, his talent was taken from him.

Make yourself available and do as you’re asked to do.  As God uses you and then uses you some more He may require a little more of you.  It will not be an overbearing thing to you if you have been doing all along as He’s asked you to do.

Isa 1:19  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

You will benefit from your obedience and so will others.

2Co 8:5  And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

They first gave themselves to the lord and to us by the will of God.  Give yourself to the Lord.

This lad had no selfish motive.  His mom probably packed his basket.  As he gave it to the disciples the food as far as he knew would be used up with nothing left for him.  He just completely let it go. 

The twelve baskets full of fragments:  Among the Jews the fragments left over was the property of the servitors.  I have gotten good from my own lessons.  You are going to benefit if you give your lives and labor to God.

Pro 3:9  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

It doesn’t say to honor the Lord with your leftovers.  Fill your life with material things and honor the lord with the little that is left?  No, it says honor with the first fruits of your increase.  Your barns will be filled with plenty and presses burst out.

If you will save your life you will lose it and if you lose your life for Christ’s sake you will save it. 

Remember the good things that God has done for you, how you have really benefitted from living for God.  I could be behind bars today if I had not chosen to serve God; I could have grown to be a lonely old man.   Why not give God the first fruits of all that you have.

This lad was close to Jesus.  Of the multitude of people out there, he must have been pretty close in order for the disciples to ask him for food.  Among 10,000 people he would have been lost in the multitude if he were not close to Jesus. 

Take time; spend time with Jesus.  Take even more time than just your morning and evening prayer.  Spend special time with Him.  Pray, “God help me to love you and to be what you’d have me to be.”

Mar 12:1  And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

Mar 12:2  And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

Mar 12:3  And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.

Mar 12:4  And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

Mar 12:5  And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.

Mar 12:6  Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.

Mar 12:7  But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.

Mar 12:8  And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

Mar 12:9  What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

God desired fruit from the Jews and because they refused, he went to the Gentiles. 

Psa 92:12  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psa 92:13  Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Psa 92:14  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

We can bring forth fruit whatever age we are. 

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We want to bring forth much fruit unto God.  Without Him we can do nothing.

Abide means to stay, continue, dwell, and remain.  Do all you know to do to have Him abide in you and you abide in Him so that you can bring forth much fruit for God.