Sunday, May 18, 2025 AM
GRADUATION SUNDAY: Fishes and Loves
Sean Morales, Student Ministry
REMEMBER THE
YOU HAVE IN JESUS.
As you go into this next chapter you will face all kinds of different situations in your life. You will find yourself going through new and exciting moments in life. New friends, new jobs, new schools, and along the way new loves and even “gross” a new “love”. Parents will be praying for that to come much later in this new journey.
You will also find yourself going through times where you feel like you don’t know what to do and maybe even thinking, are you enough to get through the next season?
YOU ARE!
Walk with God and He will guide your steps and show you, with Him you are enough.
This morning, I want to talk about what we bring to the Lord and what He can do with it. We will read a well-known story but look at a part of it that we may not always give a lot of attention to.
So, let’s read John 6:1-14
1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” —John 6:1–14 (ESV)
So, this morning I want to look at this boy who Andrew found with his five barley loaves and two fish.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE BRING
TO JESUS?
Parents, grandparents, bus drivers, aunts, uncles… fill in the blank, I want us to see the importance of what Andrew does here. We see first here that Andrew brings this boy to Jesus. I don’t think Andrew knew what Jesus was going to do with this little bit the boy had, but he knew he had to bring it to Him and see what could be done.
Many of you are here today because someone brought you to meet Jesus. Time has been invested into you by Sunday School teachers, VBS teachers, ministers, and pastors.
Students, you have been brought to this place to hear about Jesus and how He gave His life for you. Have you heard the message? Have you seen that God desires to use you?
God has a plan for you if you will submit to Him, if you give Him your all, just like this little boy did. Again, most of you are here because someone in your life desired to see God do something amazing with your life.
Andrew didn’t know what Jesus was going to do with this little bit, but he brought it anyways and God did something big with it. Just like you, now that you’re here, will you submit and allow God to use you in a big way?
Thank you, parents, for bringing them here to see what Jesus can do with their lives for Him! We can never know all the possibilities when we bring them to Jesus.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. —Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (ESV)
Now let’s look at the boy.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE
JESUS OUR ALL?
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” —John 6:8–9 (ESV)
Let’s get some context first. The barley loaves were not the best of the best. The barely bread was known as the cheapest of all bread and held in contempt - looked down on. It was what was usually given to the animals. What does this tell us. The boy would have most likely been from a poor family that did not have much. But this boy has brought it to Jesus and gives all he has to Jesus, five barley loaves and two fish.
By the way, these fish were most-likely a fish like a sardine that was pickled so it could be carried around. This boy gives it to Jesus, and we see one of the most well-known miracles. Jesus feed the five thousand plus with leftovers.
As I had been thinking for weeks what to preach on this Sunday, a song hit me pretty hard. Let me read some of the song to you.
Boy, He could preach.
That Man spoke of things,
Of heaven, yet still on the earth,
He stood on that hill from morning until,
You could see the hunger in our eyes.
I turned to my mama,
Asked, “What should we do?”
All we had were morsels left.
Something told me that my mama believed,
This preacher could use it more than me.
Oh, I’m trying to let go.
My heart isn’t easy, but I give you control.
I know it’s not much, but I know what I owe.
So I’ll give you all my fishes and loaves.
They brought me to the Man,
Put the food in His hands.
I held back my questioning thoughts.
But something told me that that preacher could see,
The war between my head and heart.
When He said, “Oh my child let go.
I know you’re uneasy, but I’m in control.
I don’t need that much for Me to show.
I’ll make the most of your fishes and loaves.”
What do you have to offer? I love that this song makes us think about the battle of this poor boy and maybe even his family to give this to Jesus.
Graduates and church, what do you have that God wants to do miracles with? You might be thinking I don’t have much to give, but what are you holding on to because you think you need it more than Him?
In my studying for this I read this in a commentary:
Jesus needs what we can bring Him. It may not be much, but He needs it. It may well be that the world is denied miracle after miracle and triumph after triumph because we will not bring to Jesus what we have and what we are. If we would lay ourselves at the altar of His service, there is no saying what He could do with us and through us. We may be sorry and embarrassed that we don’t have more to bring. —and rightly so; but that is no reason for failing to bring what we have. Little is always much in the hands of Christ.
It is important to remember God just wants our obedience in trusting Him to do all that He can with our lives. We don’t know what and how God will use us to reach others for Christ. So, we don’t know what God will do with our lives, but we know that God calls us to come and follow Him. It’s a call that comes with uncertainty but comes with hope, joy, and peace in Jesus.
Will you Give Him your all and will you bring others to Jesus to continue the cycle of people getting to know Jesus?
Graduates, as we wrap up let me leave you with one more piece of advice: If you’re staying here or going off, plug into the body of Christ. Find you a church that you can continue to learn more about your walk and be discipled in.
I have been reading in the book of Judges for my morning reading, and I just read the story of Gideon. If you don’t know his story let me encourage you to go and read it, it’s a good one. But as I was reading his story I got to the end. You see Gideon helped the people remember their need for God and His provision and they followed God until the one that led them was not there anymore. They fell away from the Lord the moment He died.
You are now coming to a time where your faith is dependent on you getting up. You’re making the decision to go to church or BCM. You’re going to be stepping out of your parent’s umbrella. What will you do, now that it’s on you to continue your walk?
“Oh, but I’ll go when I come home that will be good enough, plus it just won’t be Cameron.” Your right it won’t be, but God is not just here at Cameron.
You will have to use discernment on whether this is a good Bible teaching church, but God does desire you to find a place to continue to grow so you don’t turn away or follow after the world and the destruction it wants for you.