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Notes:

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

He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 

“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

- John 6:5-12

What are they among so many?

What are you carrying?

As parents we can give our kids “bread and fish.”

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Notes

We stay stuck when our story isn’t part of a bigger story

Not dead – Not done

Mess into message

Disciples have a destiny

The myth of the “Big Moment”

Fiction and fairytales have conditioned us to miss-out on a life that counts

Waiting for a special moment to have our life count 

Wastes the everyday moments that build a life that counts

He had to go through Samaria on the way, and around noon as he approached the village of Sychar…

Jesus was tired from the long walk in the hot sun and sat wearily beside the well.

Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.

All too true! Jesus said. For you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.

Just then his disciples arrived. They were surprised to find him talking to a woman… Then the woman left her water pot beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, “Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

When they came out to see him at the well, they begged him to stay at their village; and he did, for two days, long enough for many of them to believe in him after hearing him.

Jesus knew that any ordinary moment can become a God moment!

● Start where you’re at

● Work with what you have

● Take one step

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Making space for Jesus in our everyday moments builds a life that counts!

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Notes

Failure is unavoidable

Failure isn’t what keeps our life from counting - it’s our response to it that keeps us stuck

We stay stuck when our story isn’t part of a bigger story

Not dead – Not done

What’s the right response to failure so it doesn’t have the final say in our lives?

Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor…

Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?

Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the Lord's command, he has rejected you as king.

Yes, I have sinned, Saul replied. I disobeyed the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted.

But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel.

David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger said, Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 

Then David sent messengers to get her.

David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. He wrote: Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed.

Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan, As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!

Nathan said to David, You are that man!

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation…

Repentance -> Admit -> Alter

Repentance redirects us back to God’s plan and purpose for our lives

Avoid as much as possible

Repentance (admitting & altering) allows God’s grace to define our destiny, not our failures.

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Notes

We stay stuck when our story isn’t part of a bigger story

Not dead – Not done

All of us have flaws that can cause us to fail at living a life that counts

Insecurity

God uses flawed people to reach a flawed world!

PETER

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

He (Jesus) asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.

But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore.

Foundation of Flaws

Our relationship with Jesus redefines how we see everything

Grace – in Jesus

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Notes

Everyone wants a life that counts…

Jesus gifts anyone a destiny worth living and dying for based on His grace not our goodness!

We’ll all face a circumstance that seems to derail any chance of us fulfilling our dream destiny

RUTH:

No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

“Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Ruth was loyal at great personal cost

One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields so I can gather grain behind whoever permits me to do so.”

“She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

Ruth took the “next right step” even though it wasn’t pretty or easy

You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

Ruth had integrity in the tough times

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ

Not the spectacular or special

The character trait of “honoring God” makes space for God’s grace to step in and do what we can’t!

Circumstances: Wrong indicator

Our destiny isn’t determined by circumstances, but by our daily trust in God’s character

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Notes

Everyone wants their life to count…

but, all of us have flaws, failures and circumstances that often disqualify us.

A poor decision

Being banned from a bigger story leaves us with the sickness of selfishness.

He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore.

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Jesus gives the unqualified a destiny worth living and dying for!

● Not dead – Not done

For I am the least of all the apostles—I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church. But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect.

● Not dead – Not done

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that…

Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

● Not dead – Not done

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Jesus qualifies the undeserved to have a life that counts!

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Notes

Some of life’s most defining moments come from a simple YES!

When they saw him (Jesus), they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said,  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son 

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Make Disciples

“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 

But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.

But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. 

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

Our YES to JESUS is the most significant choice will ever make.

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church  that day.  — about 3,000 in all.

Obstacles to Obedience

Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward decision.

And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,

…just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!”

Obstacles to Obedience

Don't allow any obstacle to cheapen your yes to Jesus!   

Delayed obedience is diminished obedience!

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Notes

All of us have a dysfunction that harms the life we want.

Addiction, Pride, Demanding, Passive, Callous, Insecure, Greedy, Lustful, Angry, Impulsive, Controlling, Jealous

The most dangerous dysfunction is the one we’re unwilling to admit or address.

Easy to see in others

Ignoring our dysfunction to focus on the dysfunction of others we can’t fix is madness and hypocrisy.

Heaven on the Inside

What do we do with the dysfunctions that damage the life we want?

Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”

“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” 

Look good

“I don’t have a husband,” she answered.

Look good – Feel good – Be good

“But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now—when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.”

God doesn’t want a religious costume, He’s looking for real heart devotion.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Surrender to Jesus removes the core cause of our dysfunctions.

Admit

Selfishness = Dysfunction

Brokenness everywhere – Heaven in PART

All of us will have struggles we can’t overcome by ourselves. 

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Notes

Everyone feels the influence of FEAR in some way

“A Culture of Fear”

Fear is a powerful motivator. The last 50 years of empirical research on fear-arousing messaging has shown evidence that high fear messages are generally more effective than low fear messages in changing people’s actions, intentions, and attitudes.

Fear is peddled for profit, not for our benefit

PROBLEM:

All of us will have struggles we can’t overcome by ourselves

Heaven on the inside

How do we deal with the normal feelings of fear?

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?

And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’

…but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. But above all pursue his kingdom and righteous-ness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So then, do not worry about tomorrow

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other…You cannot serve both God and worldly riches.

Consume: 

Creator: 

Our focus on God drives our decisions not our feelings of fear

What we value

Feeling fear is normal

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Notes

Everyone experience unavoidable pain in life.

Pain of Failure

The agony of pain often overwhelms us into medicating our lives no matter what the cost

WHY?

No answer will fix our feelings.

All of us will have struggles we can’t overcome by ourselves.

Pain

Dignity of Choice

Pain proves life is broken

John the Baptist who was now in prison, heard about all the miracles the Messiah was doing, so he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you really the one we are waiting for, or shall we keep looking?”

Again the next day John was standing there with two of his disciples. Gazing at Jesus as he walked by he said, “Look the Lamb of God.” When John’s two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

Pain blinded John from the very problem Jesus came to fix.

The young man who died was a widows only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion.

When Jesus saw her weeping and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. Jesus WEPT.

I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Look, God’s home is now among his people…He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.

Jesus joined us in our pain.

The unfailing love of God found in Jesus conquered the cause of our unavoidable pain.