"For His Sake and Ours" John 6:1-15 - Kairo English Ministry

o This month is missions’ month here at SBECC.
o As you know, Kairo has the opportunity of doing ministry both in the inner city, as well as short-term missions overseas.
o Once a month we go to the homeless shelter in Long Beach. We also work occasionally with Powerhouse Church in Watts.
o Once a year we also travel to teach the Gospel in Taiwan.
o But today, I want to share with you something I’ve learned that is more important than the missions and ministry itself.
o It is a principle that applies to every kind of ministry we do, whether at home, or abroad; in the city or on the hill.
INTRO-LBRM
o Back in college, I used to have this prayer that I would always pray.
o “God, I want to reach many, many people for your kingdom. Give me opportunities.”
o I didn’t have in mind what that was going to look like. I just knew that I wanted God to use me as an instrument to bring people into the kingdom. I just wanted opportunities to share the gospel.
o There’s a weird thing that happens when you pray.
o At the time, my dad used to preach monthly at the LBRM. I think it was actually PCC’s ministry at first.
o He always asked me to go with him, but uh-uh. Wasn’t for me.
o At the LBRM, you have a whole bunch of scary looking guys, many of them are homeless. Every night they come to eat and find shelter.
o Before they are fed with food, they are fed with the word.
o So around 100 men or so will come pouring into the sanctuary to receive the word.
o In 2003, my dad was called to go to SF to pastor a church, and so he asked me to go speak for the LBRM.
o At once I began to weep. These weren’t tears of joy. I ain’t that holy.
o I was terrified. I’m this 23 year old kid straight out of college. I’m just a little boy to some of these guys.
o Who am I to tell men 2-3x older than me how to live and what they need in their life? What do I have to offer? What do I have to give?
o But I realized that this is exactly what I had been praying for... an opportunity to reach the multitude.
o This morning, we’re looking at a passage where Jesus uses a little boy to reach multitudes.
o How? Well, by taking what the boy had to offer.

John 6:1-14

1. God wants to Use You for His Name Sake
o God is jealous for His own Name. For his own glory. This is his Mission. To make his name known.
o I was asked by a church recently to preach about the boy in the Bible who had 2 fish and 5 loaves, and to prepare a biographical sermon about him.
o As I began to study, I started to worry because there’s only one verse in the whole Bible about this boy!
o The feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle recorded by all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
o This miracle in Jesus’ ministry is extremely significant.
o But the boy is only mentioned in one of the gospel accounts- John’s- and in only one verse of this one account!
o Here it is: in V. 9 Andrew says “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish…”
o And as I began to read over the passage, I began to wonder “So how in the world do I preach a sermon about a boy who we know so little about?”
o Well, as I prayed and read through this passage, it became clear to me how to preach this story.
o Something the boy probably came to realize.
o Whether or not the boy became a believer, the boy probably now realizes that his offering of his 2fish/5loaves was NOT about him.
o It was for a greater purpose, even greater than just providing food for thousands of people…
o It was for His NAME sake. For the sake of Jesus’ name. For the sake of His glory.
o This story really isn’t about the boy at all, nor is it about the people. It’s about Jesus! The name of Jesus.
o V. 14 calls this a feeding of 5000 a “miracle”.
o In the Greek the word for miracle is “semeion”, literally, a “sign”.
o What is a sign? A sign labels something and marks it as distinct from everything else. It points out something significant about whatever it is assigned to.
o EX: Do we have any visitors today? How did he know that this structure made of concrete walls is SBECC? By the sign that marked this place. It distinguished it as not a Jewish Temple, not a Mormon church, but SBECC. South Bay Evangelical Christian Church.
o The miracles of Jesus were signs, as John called them, to mark him as, Christ, is the divine Son of God.
o They point to him as the one sent by the Father. He’s the Lamb of God.
o In the same way, when God uses us in missions or in ministry, we realize that we are to be sign posts pointing not to us, but to the Savior of the world.
o That’s JESUS! Call on his name!
o God wants to use us for HIS NAME SAKE. For the glory of his name.

o But it’s hard isn’t it. We love to have our own name glorified, don’t we?
 “Oh, so and so is such a great bible study leader. He is so wise and has so much insight.”
 “Oh, so and so’s testimonies are always so powerful and touching.”
 “So and so is such a wonderful singer, her voice is so angelic!”
o EX: Retreat I was at a retreat this past year, and during free time we had 3 hours to spend.
 I was so touched that one of the youth spent most of his free time with me.
 People don’t usually go out of their way to spend time with the speaker, and it can get lonely.
 At the end of free time, he said “So do you think maybe you can mention my name in one of your sermons?”
 ?!!! That’s why you hung out with me?!
o If the boy in John 6 was anything like us, he must have felt pretty proud of himself, pretty special to have his little lunch be “the” lunch that was able to provide a filling for well over 5000 people.
o “It was my lunch that saved the day. It was my sacrifice.”
o But I can imagine that as the boy grew up, and as he read some of the reports written by people like Matthew, Mark, or Luke…
o It must have been crushing to find out that his name didn’t make the headlines.
o Crushed by news that… he didn’t make the news. 
o There were no stories circulating titled “Boy feeds 5000”.
o Why? Because the boy didn’t feed 5000. Jesus did.
o History does not remember the name of this boy. Matthew, Mark, and Luke didn’t find it significant enough to even mention him.
o History remembers this incredible miracle as the time when “Jesus fed the 5000”.
o It was a sign that pointed to Jesus as the almighty one.
o It is his name that is glorified.

o Do we realize that what we have to offer and sacrifice is not to bring glory to ourselves?
o That we are not to touch the glory?
o Whether it’s short term missions, or long term missions, or serving at home in church… It’s not to advance my name?
o We know that this story isn’t about the boy at all, it’s about Jesus! We know that.
o But why is it when it comes to our story and our role in all of this, we still hope that our name gets remembered! That our name gets mentioned? Our name gets glorified?
o I wonder why it’s so hard for me to get.
EX: John 1, John the Baptist Jack preached a couple weeks ago about John the Baptist.
o And he showed how John understood who he was, and he understood who Jesus was. HE GOT IT.
o When people were drawn to him and the Chief priests started inquiring about him:
o “Are you the Christ?” The anointed One sent by God? “No.”
o “Are you Elijah? The man of God who is to return?” “No.”
o “Are you The Prophet? With a capital P, that Moses prophesied to come?” “No.”
o It’s exhilirating when people think you’re really something, even if you’re not, doesn’t it? And we’re not often very quick to deflect the glory to God.
EX: I sometimes get to speak at Korean churches. I’ve noticed that they hold the speaker in high regard. Even though I am not ordained as a pastor, or even finished with seminary, they always address me as “Pastor”. I ask them to just call me Greg, they say “Ok Pastor Greg.”
 I have to be honest, the sin in me loves to hear that title attached to my name.
 Recently, I received a phone call, and the person asked if they can speak with the “Reverend” Greg Mah.
 And I have to tell you the truth, it felt good. And there was a struggle within my soul.
 I was flattered, and tempted to let the person continue thinking that I was worthy of the title “Reverend”.
 Finally, I had to come forth and struggled to say to her, “Please just call me Greg.”
 It felt good while it lasted.
o I want to highlight v. 21. John the Baptist did not hesitate to point these guys in the RIGHT direction.
o He says, “NO! not me!”
o “There is one who comes of whose thongs of his sandals I am not worthy of untying!”
o I’m not even worthy enough to touch those dirty feet that he walks on!

o I’m reminded of others who have encountered God, and have come to experience and understand the holiness of God’s Glory.
EX: Paul as deity
o IN Acts 14, Paul healed a crippled man, and at once, the whole crowd was in uproar. They thought that Paul and Barnabas were deity, so they all brought wreaths and bulls and sacrifices to offer to these deities.
o What does Paul do? He tears his clothes, which means great distress, and he says “Men, why are you doing this?! Don’t do this! I am a man, just like you!” And he tries desperately to turn them to the Living God.
EX: Angel and John
o In Rev 19 and 22, two separate occasions.
o An Angel of the Lord is showing John the glorious things of God in Heaven, and John is overwhelmed and he immediately as a natural reaction fell down at the feet of the angel and started worshipping.
o And the Angel, who understood the holiness of God, said “DON’T DO IT! I am a servant, just like you. Worship God!”
o Paul and the angel both experienced the awesomeness of God’s glory, and at any moment when someone was tempted to give them glory, in holy fear they immediately cried out to their worshippers, DON’T DO it!!!
o It wasn’t like, “oh no, Praise God, you’re too kind”. It was DON’T DO IT. I’m just like you. Lift up JESUS!”
EX: Herod
o Then there’s that story in Acts 12. King Herod gives a speech and he wins over the hearts of the people.
o And they shout out, “Here is the voice of a god!” 21On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. And Herod didn’t do much to redirect any praise. He just soaked it in. And “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
o Do NOT touch his glory.
o He will use us, on missions and in ministry, but for HIS name sake!
o He is exalted, The king is exalted.
o God may send us on missions, but his ultimate mission is that his name is exalted.
o How can we be sign posts pointing people to God, to exalt his name?
o
o In Jn 6, We don’t know who this boy who offered his lunch is.
o And I don’t know if the boy humbly stepped out of the scene to leave Christ in the spotlight, or if that’s just the way history wrote it.
o But for us, that’s how it will go down.
o God wants to use you on his mission, but for His name sake. Our story is about Jesus.

o At the end of this age, when Christ comes in all his glory, the Bible says that every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that “Jesus Christ” is Lord.
o At that time, our short-term trips to Taiwan, or our serving at Long Beach Rescue Mission, will not be on people’s minds. They will be too overwhelmed with His Majesty and glory.
o But we pray that with the opportunities that God has given us to go, we will have been faithful to point people to Jesus Christ, the name above all names.
o And we pray that those bowing down and confessing Christ as Lord with us, will be some of those we were able to point to Christ.

2. God wants to use you for Your sake.
o Here’s the graciousness of God in glorifying His own name:
o He will use us and bless us in the process.
o Not for the glory of our name, but for the deepening of our faith. For our Faith sake.
o I hate to break it to you...God can glorify himself without us, no problem. He doesn’t NEED us.
o EX: Feeding with Manna. The feeding of the 5000 is one of the most famous miracles. But what about the feeding of the 600,000 men who Moses led out of Egypt?
o (That was just the number of men. People estimate the Exodus to be 2-3 million Israelites. )
o God brought bread called manna from out of nothing to feed the Israelites, not just for one meal, but for 40 years!! That’s 14,600 days of food God provided. Assuming they ate 3x/day, that’s 43,800 meals!
o And all this out of nothing to start with!
o No offence to the little boy, but Jesus didn’t need his fish and bread to perform a miracle.
o GOD DOESN’T NEED US to do miraculous wonders that Glorify Himself.
o He doesn’t need us to feed the needy, in LA or LB.
o He doesn’t need us to go overseas to save the nations, Taiwan or Japan.
o But God graciously CHOOSES to use us. He chose to use the boy’s fish and bread.
o I think a secondary reason was for the sake of the boy.
o To take him, and the disciples, deeper into their faith in who Jesus is.
o God’s primary mission in all the earth is to make his name known, but sometimes He chooses to use you when doing things for His name sake.
o So that our knowledge of who he is would grow. So that your faith in His power would grow. So that ultimately our love for him will grow.

o There’s something powerful about watching a man multiply 2fish/5loaves…
o But it’s significantly more powerful for you to watch…when it’s YOUR fish and bread that’s he multiplying!

o I’m certain that the thousands of people there, and the disciples, were changed by the experience when they saw Jesus multiply the food.
o But I suspect that the boy’s faith was impacted more so than the rest of the 5000 who were fed.
o Why? Cuz it was his offering that Jesus took and multiplied!
o There are many opportunities to witness the power of God at work, it’s all around us.
o But it seems most powerful you when God chooses to take you and uses what you have to offer.
o Ex: Taiwan Team
o Last year during this time, I showed a video to you of something that happened on our Taiwan trip.
o It was the video where Mona and Foster accepted Christ, and we were all jumping and celebrating.
o I showed that video last year to the Chinese congregation.
o Some people told me afterward they were so touched that they were crying.
o I showed it to the English ministry. Same thing
o As moved and as joyful as Christians may be when they see and hear of this… I don’t know if anyone is as impacted as the 9 of us who were able to be used by God.
o Watching this video probably doesn’t cause you to go and invest your life into overseas missions.
o But the 9 of us short term missionaries watched God take what we had to offer: our time, energy, investment, gifts and testimonies, and use it to speak truth into Mona and Foster’s life.
o And when we saw God use it to bring others into the Kingdom, God’s name was glorified, but man were we deeply and personally impacted by it. We were blessed by it.
o Clam go to share this morning to the CM how the trips personally impacted her, in a way no one else who simply heard about our trip were impacted.
o God was using us in Taiwan for His Name sake,
o but chose to use us also for our sake, for the strengthening of our faith.
Closing
o When my dad asked me to do LBRM, I ran to my room and like a DQ fell to my knees as I wept. My dad came after me and we prayed together.
o We prayed that God would use me and empower me to preach the gospel.
o I went to LBRM. I was so terrified that I had 20 friends come with me. Not to watch me, but to sit and pray for me.
o Then came the part I dreaded: Altar call.
o 25-30 hands go up.
o Another 25 hands or so go up, and one by one people start coming forward.
o We didn’t even have enough man power to pray for everyone who needed prayer!
o God took the little that I had offer, and he used me that night.
o But he used me to Glorify Himself. He used me for his name sake.
o But He used the little I felt that I had to offer, and man was my faith in the power of God deepened.
o I often feel scared, nervous, and inadequate in particular opportunities to serve.
o I can’t tell you how often I return to that night at LBRM to be reminded of the power of God and his Sufficiency in our insufficiencies.

o We don’t know much about this little boy in John 6.
o All we know is this…that he gave what he had to offer at the moment.
o Offer all that you have to the Lord, whether great or small. It all belongs to him anyways.
o Whether it’s your finances or possessions, your gifts and abilities, maybe it’s your time and your energy.
o The most selfish thing you can do is to completely surrender all that you have to God.
o He will bless you in doing so. Your faith will be made strong. He will use you for your sake.
o 1 Tim 3:13 “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.”
o But most imortantly, God WILL be glorified, He WILL be exalted among the nations.