There is a lad here

Notes from a sermon on 23 February 2016

Luke 9 verses 12 - 17

The feeding of the 5000.  John 6 verse 9 from the lips of Andrew "there is a lad here". Amongst all the great multitudes of people Andrew finds him and brings him to the Lord.  Serves as a reminder of how important the children`s work is and how important for one little child that God would take them up and use them in the days to come.  That is why we need to be constantly bringing children and his message to them.

Something of the search that was made - verse 12.  The disciples were concerned about this people.  "When the day began to wear away."  In another portion it says "the day was far spent".  The disciples were watching the darkness coming down.  Andrew noticed the multitude who came out to hear Jesus Christ.  They had travelled a fair distance and they needed to get home.  They were concerned they would faint on the way for they had no food with them.  We should be concerned about the welfare of children, men and women who are not saved.  They haven`t prepared for the journey home.  The days are well spent, their years are far gone.  It is good to be concerned.  For many around our area the day is far spent for them.  The day will come when Christ will come again.  These disciples were concerned, saw the people on the mountain side and were concerned but they did something about it.  They brought them to Jesus Christ.  They were alert to what was happening around them.  They brought their concerns to the one who could meet that need.  They had in mind the wedding in Canaan when the wine ran out.  They watched the Lord on that particular day turning the water into wine.  The best was kept to the last.  The Lord was told  there was no food for the people.  They brought that concern to the master.  Isn`t that what we do - we bring our concerns to the master who is able to do far more abundantly than we could ever ask or think.  "Cast all your care upon the Lord for he careth for you."  We too see we are in a desert place.  We see we have nothing to help people around us but we are able to bring them to the one who is able to meet that need.  Verse 13 "give ye them to eat."  It is time to search the pockets, to see what you have got.  Maybe Jesus is saying "you are asking me every night for the boys and girls, to see the numbers increasing but you need to start the search for them."  We read in John`s gospel "whence shall we buy bread that we might buy to feed this lot."  The Lord knew what he was about to do.  It is good to come and ask the Lord but we need to do the seeking too.

The surprise that is found.  Maybe they were looking for people with food, somehow to try and bring it together to feed everyone.  Andrew finds one little boy with a few loaves and fishes "but what is that among so many?"  Maybe he walked past him, thought in his mind "that wouldn`t work".  Imagine that for a moment of the Sunday school teacher who gave David Livingstone a small Bible for reciting Psalm 119.  For 30 years he preached and prayed on the African continent until the Lord took him home.  Natives thought his candle was burning long into the night, saw him sitting on his knees but he had already gone home.  Imagine the surprise on the face of that Sunday School teaher when heard the account of David Livingstone.  We don`t know lwhat ies ahead for any of these children.  Imagine the surprise for the Sunday School teacher who followed up on the shoe salesman D L Moody as he brought thousands to Christ.  Andrew thought "what could you do with these loaves and fishes, what will God ever make of them?"  Wouldn`t it be tremendous for God to raise one to follow the Lord and serve him?

The surrender that was sought.  Andrew stops with this boy, has time for him.  He is sitting out on the mountainside with adults all around him.  Andrew stops with this boy and talks with him.  He begins to speak to him about the Lord.  The one who is able to do great things might even be interested in what he has.  Andrew is speaking of a surrender.  We need to speak to our children about surrendering their lives to Christ.  That is what we need to be handing out - to speak to people about the little children.  Andrew asked the little boy if he was prepared to surrender all to the Lord.

The sufficiency that was found - verse 17 "and they did eat and were all filled."  He was glad he didn`t ignore this lad.  There were probably about 20,000 people fed that day.  They came with nothing but went home with something.  Let`s keep praying for our little ones coming under the sound of the word of God.

The surplus that was gathered.  The Lord took it and blessed the food but the blessing didn`t end there because all the fragments were picked up and there were 12 basketfuls left over.  The blessing kept flowing on.  Whatever we give to the Lord is never wasted.  That includes our time, our talents and our tithes.  The Lord will bless it and the blessing will flow on perhaps to another generation and another home.