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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a miracle that Jesus did, and how that affects our lives today.
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Oftentimes it’s nice to have a very clear example of what it looks like to do something. Here, we get that! In this part of God’s Word, the crowd chases after Jesus. By taking a look at what happens, this story serves as a synopsis of what it looks like to follow Jesus.
Following Jesus Involves
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A true relationship with Jesus
Matt. 14:13–14, John 15:5-7, Col. 1:10
2. Not turning away when times get tough
Matt. 14:14-15, Rom. 5:3-5, 2 Cor. 4:17, James 1:12
3. Receiving God’s patience
Matt. 14:15-16, 2 Pet. 3:9, John 2:1-11
4. God calling us to do the “impossible”
Matt. 14:16, 19:26, Heb. 12:11, James 1:2-3, 2 Cor. 4:17, 12:9-10
5. Giving God all you have
Matt. 14:17-18, 6:33, 16:24, John 12:24, Mark 12:42-44, Gen. 1:1
6. God surpassing all of your expectations
Matt. 14:19-21, Eph. 3:20-21, 2 Cor. 2:9, 9:8, Rom. 4:21, Jer. 32:27, James 1:17
7. Continually being transformed by God
Matt. 14:21, Rom. 6:13, 12:1-2, Eph. 4:22-24, Col. 3:1-10
Getting Started
- Take some time to read over Matthew 14:13-21 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- What surprised you as we talked about it?
- As we talked about this part of God’s Word, and what it looks like to actually follow Jesus, what stood out the most?
- As you think of following Jesus, what in this passage of Scripture challenges you to follow Him better?
Diving In
- Read John 15. How does this analogy that Jesus uses of the vine and the branches help your understanding that following Him involves being in a true relationship with Him? How can you improve your relationship with Jesus?
- The crowd could have turned away when they became hungry, and following Jesus wasn’t so easy any more. Instead, they decided to stick around. How can you determine to follow Jesus, even when it can become difficult to do so?
- Read John 2:1-11. Jesus’ disciples should have known better. They have already witnessed Jesus turning the water into wine, and now they are doubtful that He can feed a crowd. How can you learn from their mistake, and not doubt God when He has already proven Himself to you over and over again?
- Read Matthew 14:16. Here, He turns the conversation back to His disciples, and calls them to feed the crowd. Evenso, He doesn’t do so without helping and guiding them. How has God called you to do what you thought was impossible at the time, and helped and guided you through it? How can you learn from that for the future?
- The disciples are willing to give Jesus all they had, and when they put all they had into Jesus’ hands, He did amazing things with it. What would that look like in your life?
- Jesus surpassed everyone’s expectations. What do you need to put into God’s hands, and what would it look like for Jesus to surpass your expectations of what He can do with that?
- Read Romans 12:1-2. Following Jesus involves being continually transformed by Him. What do you need to do in order to accomplish what Romans 12:1-2 tells us to do?
Applying the Scripture
What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?
- What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
- How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
- Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?
Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?