Eight Pound Sledge

Tonight's worship music and sermon were tailor-made for me. God has a way of knowing what we need to hear, when we need to hear it. I can't remember the last time I cried during service. The song selection spoke to my heart in a way that addressed some deep seated feelings of fear that I've been carrying around for a very long time.



However, it was these particular lyrics which penetrated my heart:

"And I will fear no evil, for my God is with me. And if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?"

Really. Who, or what should we be afraid of, if the Lord is with us, protecting and guiding our steps? We've sung this song before, but tonight, the words took on life and ministered to my spirit.

After worship, the team displayed a short video titled "Regret". My goodness, it felt as though it was my life on display for all to see. I live with so many regrets, and this film seemed to shine a spotlight on all of the personal failures and sorrows of my soul. It hit me like an eight pound sledge hammer.



As if that weren't enough, our pastor delivered one of the best sermons of his career (in my humble opinion). He spoke of Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 in John chapter 6. In that portion of scripture, Jesus and Philip are having a conversation about where to procure food for the gathering crowd. Catch the worldly answer Philip delivers to Jesus' inquiry about where to buy food in verse 7. Jesus wanted Philip to look to Him for a solution to an impossible problem; feeding hordes of men, women and children with meager resources. Jesus delivered with miraculous provision, and the crowd was satisfied (and then some!).

John 6:1-13 (The Message)

1-4After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews.

5-6When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread to feed these people?" He said this to stretch Philip's faith. He already knew what he was going to do.

7Philip answered, "Two hundred silver pieces wouldn't be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece."

8-9One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, "There's a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that's a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this."

10-11Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted.

12-13When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted." They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves.

You have to wonder, were the crowds satisfied with the Lord, or with what he did? If I'm honest, it would seem that I've been far more interested in what God can do for me and my family, rather than seeking a meaningful relationship with Him personally. If all I'm seeking are His blessings, how can I even dare to say that I love Him?

We need Jesus because He's Jesus. We don't need "Jesus plus" anything else. Let's turn this around for a second. Does Jesus love us because of what we can do or give to Him? Obviously, the answer is "no". God loves us just as we are; rich or poor, happy or broken. He loves us solely for who we are; It's genuine and personal. It's an example that we should strive to mirror.

I could go on about the other attributes of the sermon, but I won't. I'll just leave you with the insight that it's all going to work out. God has our best interests in mind. He'll love and protect us and help us along the path of this life. We need Jesus.

Good Night