Be Extraordinary in the Midst of Normalcy

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S.O.A.P. – “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer”

Guest Speaker – Mac Ingmire

What do you like for people to notice about you?

Scripture:

The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”

But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!”

“How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” Mark 6:30-38 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Jesus was a man of compassion. From the start of his teaching, Jesus appeared to be a different kind of teacher and leader. Jesus put people before laws. His “new way” was forgiving and kind.

Jesus “stood out” in a crowd. Had you been in the crowd, what do you believe you would have noticed about Jesus?

Have you ever felt “lost,” like a sheep without a shepherd? Who or what connected with you at that time?

Have you ever been given directions to do something that 1) you knew was right, and 2) seemed impossible to follow?

When is it most important for you to “trust and obey”?

Lord, thank you for showing amazing compassion through your church. Help me be a part of your work of compassion here on earth!

When was the last time you saw something that genuinely frightened you?

Scripture:

Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him.

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed. Mark 6:45-56 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Jesus was a man of action. Jesus had the unique ability to see the needs of others and he always acted to meet those needs.

Beyond the physical needs, what spiritual needs did the crowd have?

Why do you think Jesus insisted that the disciples get into the boat? What was Jesus helping them see?

Have you seen God do miraculous things in your life?

Are you willing to follow Jesus into dangerous situations?

Lord, thank you for stretching us beyond our ability to comprehend and blessing us beyond our ability to imagine. Help me be a person of action today as I follow Jesus into the exciting unknown.

How do you feed your soul hope every day?

Scripture:

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”

Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:22-40 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Jesus was a man of truth. Being a follower of Christ is not about standing on the sideline and being a spectator. It’s about action, about following the truth.

The crowds wanted to “perform God’s works.” Jesus said the work they needed to do for God was to “believe” in Jesus. Why was “belief” the essential next step, instead of simply getting the power to perform miracles without belief?

Have you ever met someone who wants all of God’s blessings but doesn’t want to love and serve God?

If food was the picture, not the point, then what was the point?

Jesus will never reject those who trust him, and he will raise them up at the last day. Do you look forward to this?

Lord, help me not miss the signs you give. Thank you for providing Jesus as the “bread” that sustains our soul every day.

What is your favorite quote? Who said it?

Scripture:

(Continued from yesterday’s Scripture) Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”

He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. John 6:41-59 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Jesus was a man with the Words of Eternal Life.

As we see in tomorrow’s Scripture, Jesus’ words were intentionally meant to encourage believers who would stay and trust him (even though they were highly confused)…and frustrate unbelievers to the point of rejecting and leaving. No longer would hungry and hard-hearted unbelievers hound Jesus to declare himself a king who could make food for an army appear out of thin air.

Sometimes parents call their children to obey even when the children cannot fully understand the wisdom behind the request. Is God calling you, as a good Father, to trust and obey in some area in your life?

If eating was the picture, not the point, what was the point?

Lord, thank you for calling me to be your child even when I sometimes stubbornly resist listening. Help me to trust and obey.

What would you most want someone to say about you at your funeral?

Scripture:

(Continued from yesterday’s Scripture) Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.” He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him. John 6:60-71 NLT

Sermon Insights:

Do we follow the crowd, or do we follow Jesus? To pursue our purpose as Christ followers, we have to be willing to be different. We have to be willing to be extraordinary in the midst of normalcy.

What extraordinary attitudes should Christians be known for?

What godly attitude is a challenge for you to embrace?

How do you typically handle your doubts about God?

If you are a Christian, what has Jesus helped you become known for since your choice to follow him?

Lord, thank you for being faithful to us even when we are not faithful to you. Please help me be unique in a way that is honoring to you, beneficial to others, and satisfying to myself.

Be Extraordinary in the Midst of Normalcy

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