Pastor Ty Tamasaka
July 18, 2021 - W2129

"When You Need a Miracle"

What Do You Do...

Pastor Ty Tamasaka 

July 17 & 18, 2021

Welcome to New Hope Oahu! I am so thrilled to be here with you guys and for those of you joining us online, we love you and bless you in Jesus's Name! My name is Ty, and I'm one of the teaching faculty at Pacific Rim Christian University and a teaching pastor here--I'm honored and excited about that! 

I not only teach at Pacific Rim Christian University, but I'm also a graduate so I tend to think of things in a theological sense. I'll also be teaching the upcoming course on the book of Ephesians and dig deep into Scripture and have fun as we learn and build relationships along the way!  

I want to mention the famous Boston Marathon, a 26?mile race. At mile 20, is a steep incline called Heartbreak Hill. If runners make it through Heartbreak Hill, they can move ahead; but if not--they won’t finish the race!

Over 2020 and 2021, many of us are hitting our Heartbreak Hill. It could be the moment your doctor sits across the desk and says, "It's terminal," or your spouse pulls you to the side and says, "I don't know if I can do this anymore," or your boss takes you aside and says, "You're doing a good job, but we have to let you go," or your teenager tells you those awful words, “I hate you!”  You’ve just hit Heartbreak Hill! How you get through Heartbreak Hill will determine if you finish your race well or you don’t. When you're at Heartbreak Hill and need a miracle, my hope is that you get to the point of discovery and know that there is power in the Name of Jesus!

Here’s a portion of a poem that some of you may be familiar with: 

“Come and listen to a story ‘bout a man named Jed 

A poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed

Then one day he was shooting for some food

And up through the ground came a bubbling crude

(Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea).

Well, the first thing you know old Jed’s a millionaire!

There's a problem with this song: It says Jed goes hunting and shoots at a rabbit, then oil comes bubbling up, and Jed becomes rich!  That’s not true! When did Jed Clampett become rich?  He was rich the moment he owned the property--even though he had not yet had the moment of discovery of the wealth that was already available to him! So, today, we'll join the disciples and some followers of Jesus at their Heartbreak Hill, and see what happened...  

John 6:1-15 NIV says: "¹Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival was near.⁵ 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?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do? ⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (They've just entered Heartbreak Hill!) ⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” ¹⁰ 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).(In those days, they counted only the men present--5,000 men.  If we consider the women and children, there's probably at least 15,000 people there!) ¹¹ 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. ¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. (From the young boy's perspective--he had five loaves and two fish and Jesus took that and fed 5000 people!) ¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

See yourself as that young boy with just five small loaves of bread and two fish; Jesus takes that from you and feeds 5,000 people--you just participated in an amazing miracle!  

1. Miracles Come from What You Have

John 6:11 NIV says: "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."

We have no way of knowing if that boy offered the loaves to Jesus, but we know that Jesus took it.  Imagine the boy seeing the miracle of Jesus feeding so many people! For most of us, if Jesus came and took our loaf (or anything of importance) from us, we may not be willing to let go of it! Jesus may put His hands on your loaf and take something that you’re struggling with.  

I don't know if the boy offered his lunch to him, but I know Jesus took it.  I want you to consider that sometimes when Jesus takes something that is important to us, we struggle, right? Miracles come from what you have!

What if Jesus takes your loaf, but he doesn't take the loaf of the guy sitting next to you?  Are you okay with that? What if Jesus takes your loaf, and he doesn't just take your loaf, but he gives it to the guy standing next to you?  Wow, how hard would that be?  Or what if He gives it to the guy standing next to you that you don't even like?  What do you do then?

Here's what I want you to catch as we go forward: Miracles come from what you have, and it depends in whose hands your loaf is in.  It’s helpful to understand what it looks like when Jesus puts his hands on your loaf and takes what you may be struggling with.  Miracles come from what you have!

In the scriptures, Moses had a rod to lift up and part the waters of the Red Sea; David had a sling and some stones to defeat the giant Goliath; Esther had to speak up.  When God does a miracle, there's always something God's people must do.  Gideon had a torch and jars; the widow had some oil; Samson had a donkey's jawbone.  There's always something God uses that's in your hands for your miracle.  But it all depends in whose hands it's in.

Nails in my hand might fix something; nails in the hand of our Savior Jesus Christ, bring salvation to the world.  Broken relationships, financial problems, wayward kids in my hand are complete disaster!  But broken relationships, financial problems, wayward kids in Jesus's hand are a miracle waiting to happen!  It all depends in whose hands it's in. Miracles come from what you already have. The next thing I want you to catch is...

2. Don't Focus on The Signs More Than the Savior  

A year ago, just before the pandemic, my family and I went to Disney World for the first time.  It’s a long trip from Hawaii we were thrilled and excited.  We caught an Uber to the hotel and put our stuff in our room and caught a bus to Disney World.  On the way were various signs of Epcot going toward Disney Springs, and more signs to various places!  The truth is, we don’t pay much attention to signs.  We know they are just pointing us to something greater!

John 6:2 NIV says: "and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick." 

We think when people are healed, it's a miracle; but Jesus says it's just a sign.  

John 6:14 NIV says: "After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

What we think is a miracle; Jesus considers it a sign.  If it’s a sign, what is it pointing to?  What can happen when we get so focused on the signs that we miss Jesus Himself coming close to us!

Here’s what happened.  The 5000 or 15,000 were fed and they were happy and filled.  Jesus said, "I am the bread of life."  That confused a lot of people. Jesus was speaking figuratively, that when you need life and sustenance, come to me; but because they were confused--they mixed the signs with the Savior and most of them left! 

Judas went to church, he looked like a believer, but he hadn’t received Christ into his heart.  You may come to church and see the signs but might miss the Savior because you haven’t allowed Jesus to invade your heart.

It's like a mega church with 15,000 that dwindled down to 11 people; and you might think that something is wrong.  With 11 men left, Jesus asks, “Are you leaving too?”  Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You alone have the words of eternal life.” There are some genuine followers who purposely submitted themselves to the Master.  God is ready to assume full responsibility for a life fully surrendered to Him!

Here's a testimony from someone who attends Pac Rim Christian University who surrendered her life to Jesus. 

[Video]

“Ever since I was a young girl, I knew God had given me the gift of singing and song writing.  In my pursuit of God's purpose, my gift became my passion and my passion, my calling.  When I enrolled at Pacific Rim Christian University, a new journey began.  As I grew in my knowledge for God, my hunger for His Word increased.  Through learning from my teachers and spending time with classmates, my love for God and His people deepened.  This experience inspired me to write and record my first song "Guardians."

Pac Rim is where I had the opportunity to lead worship for the first time!  I could feel God's breath in every song, and I started to see my dream blossom!  Today, I'm walking into God's greatest promises for my life--I'm a worship leader! I have learned that a calling is to trust and obey God by doing what He asks.  It's about taking risks and working through your fears and insecurities.  I am grateful that Pac Rim helped release one of my biggest dreams!  

[End Video] 

Family, there are one of three choices for you to make:  

1.   You can reject Jesus and walk away like the crowds did,
2.   You can reject Jesus by pretending to be a follower like Judas did,
3.   You can believe in Him and be saved as the remaining 11 did.

What is your next step?

STUDY QUESTIONS 

1.   What is your “Heartbreak Hill?”

2.   What are some signs that are distracting you from finding Jesus?

3.   What does it feel like to give your heart to Jesus?

4.   What is a miracle that you have witnessed that you knew God intervened?