History Makers | Week 9

As we dive into the message today, we continue in our series. We've been talking all summer of what it looks like to be a history maker. We've been examining different characters from the Bible that have really helped to shape church history. I believe with all of my heart that God has anointed you and anointed me to be alive at this particular moment in history so that we can make history, so that we can leave a mark, we can fulfill our purpose and our destiny, we can impact the lives of others and we can expand the kingdom of God. Now, some people in life are really motivated by fame.

They're motivated by notoriety. They're motivated by the applause of men. Let's be honest. Some people want to be a history maker because they love the attention it brings to them. They want to be a history maker because they want to make a name for themselves here in the earth.

Others, however, are comfortable with anonymity. They only want their name to be known in heaven. And that's the ones I want to talk about today. I want to talk about the no name history makers. You know, one of the most visited sites in Washington D.C. and I've been there numerous times.

But it's a place in Arlington National Cemetery called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. August 3, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill into law whose purpose was to select and pay tribute to the fallen unknown soldiers of the Korean War and World War II by interring them with honors in a specially designated area of Arlington national cemetery. Then, in 1984, the remains of a third soldier from the Vietnam conflict was added. If you know anything about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, you know that the tomb is guarded day and night by specially trained tomb sentinels from the 3rd Infantry. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without exception, since April 6, 1948, to show honor to the thousands of soldiers who have died committing brave and selfless acts with nobody to witness it while serving our nation.

It's one of the most stirring things if you've ever been there and experienced it. As those well trained sentinels will walk 21 steps, they'll wait 21 seconds, they'll pivot with great precision, they'll march back 21 steps again. They do this over and over in the blistering heat of the day or the bitter cold of winter. It doesn't matter if there is a hurricane, it doesn't matter if there's a blizzard, it doesn't matter. But day and night these sentinels march back and Forth honoring those no name soldiers.

You may have seen this image last week. Remember the storms that came through here? I'm sure that you remember those. And they passed through Washington D.C. here's an image, very stirring, of one of those sentinels. 80 mile an hour winds, torrential rain, and this was the image that kind of went around the world.

Check this out.

So stirring to see that. And as I've said many times throughout this series, the kingdom of God is not made up of celebrities and superstars, but more so of common, ordinary people who simply say yes and obey God even when it's hard or costly or even when it's countercultural. And so today in John chapter six, we're going to look at a no name history maker in a very familiar story. If you'll go to John chapter six, stand to honor the word of God this morning as we begin to read. In verse one, it says, after this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias.

A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. And then Jesus climbed a hill and he sat down with his disciples around him. It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration. Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. And turning to Philip, he asked, hey, where can we buy bread to feed all these people?

He was testing Philip for he already knew what he was going to do. And Philip replied, even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them. And then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is it with this huge crowd and Jesus?

Then verse 10, tell everyone to sit down. And so they all sat down on the grassy slopes. I've been a few times to this particular place that most historians believe this place in Israel, this gigantic grassy slope that overlooks the Sea of Galilee, which literally is hundreds of feet below. And it kind of forms this natural amphitheater. And even though the highway is hundreds of feet below that run along the border of the Sea of Galilee, you can hear the sounds as if they are amplified coming up that grassy hill.

And most historians believe that was the area that this miracle took place. This miracle that is recorded in all four of the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It says there that the men alone numbered about 5,000. And then Jesus took the loaves and he gave thanks to God and distributed them to the people.

And afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted, and everyone was full. Jesus told his disciples, now gather the leftovers so that nothing is wasted. And so they picked up the pieces and filled 12 baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. Come on, Church.

Let's make some declarations before we dive into this and before you're seated. Everybody ready? Go. I will hide this word in my heart, that this word is life to my body and health to my bones. I will be a doer of the word and not a hearer.

Only. Come on. I am confident of this, that he who has begun a good work in me. Church, come on.

Amen. You can be seated. Listen. Benjamin Franklin did not know when he was flying a kite in a storm that he was making history. George Washington Carver pursued an education in botany because he had a love for plants.

But he didn't know that he would make history by studying peanuts. In 1820, in Italy, there was a baby born. The parents named her Florence. And as she grew older, she became this very awkward teenager who loved to avoid being the center of attention anytime possible. But as she grew, she noticed this compassion in her for the ill and the needy of her own village.

And by the age of 16, she knew that nursing was her calling in life. She didn't set out to make history. She. She set out to make a difference. And she did not know that she would be known and revered as the pioneer of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.

Then there are the no names. The relatively unknown people who did things or invented things that affect our daily lives. I would guess that the majority of people here have no idea who Philo Farnsworth is, but he did something that affects our lives pretty much on a daily basis. 1927, he invented television. Most people have never heard the name Niels Bolen.

Niels Bolen invented the three point seat belt that we're all required to wear. 1989. There was an image of that went around the world. I remember it well. From June 5, 1989, all of these students had gathered in Tiananmen Square, protesting and desiring more freedom and democracy there in China.

And they became such a threat to the government that the government ordered the army to come in. And on June 4, it's estimated over 10,000 of those students were killed in Tiananmen Square. And then on June 5, the tanks began rolling in. And many of you remember the image that went around the world of this unknown young man carrying nothing but a shopping Bag who marches out into the pathway of those oncoming tanks and stands his ground with great courage. And when the tanks would try to go around him, he would move over into their pathway.

We don't know his name. They just call him Tank Man. He's one of the unknowns, the no Name History makers. People like James Harrison of Australia. Check this out.

He's been credited with saving over 2 million lives. His blood produces a rare antibody which cures rhesus disease in unborn babies. And as a result, he has donated his blood over 1170 times. But most people have no idea about James Harrison. The no Names.

The no Name History Makers. Gathered on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee is a crowd that is estimated to number somewhere around 14 or 15,000 people. The day is nearing the end. The sun is about to set. The Passover celebration typically happens at sunset.

And Jesus recognizes the need for bread to feed everybody. In verse five through seven, we read it a moment ago. Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, where can we buy bread to feed all these people? He was testing Philip for he already knew what he was going to do.

Philip replied, even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them. I want you to notice that Jesus is placing the responsibility on the disciples that to feed the crowd and the catalyst for the needed miracle is a no name person. Jesus is not trying to be harsh, he's not trying to be cruel with the disciples. Listen. He's actually inviting them into a miracle.

He's inviting them to be a part of something that would be talked about and remembered forever. Here's the thing that you and I need to understand. Sometimes our greatest opportunities are disguised as our greatest obstacles.

I believe even in the times in which we live, there are so many great opportunities around us and we miss them because they are disguised as great obstacles. Listen to me. We're living in the midst of millions of people who are hungry for the bread of life and they don't even know it. Many of them don't even know they're starving for Jesus. And watch this.

Jesus has placed the responsibility on you and I as modern day disciples, modern day Christ followers to feed them. He's not being unfair, he's not being unrealistic, he's not being unjust with us. Watch. He is inviting you and I into a miracle that is often disguised as an obstacle. He's giving us a chance to make a difference.

Now Philip's response is clearly a result of him looking through the lenses of reality and reason, Jesus tests Philip.

Sun is beginning to set. We need to have the Passover celebration. Where can we buy enough bread to feed these people? Philip responds by saying to Jesus, basically, Jesus, I've run the numbers, We've estimated the crowd. We've checked the coffers.

We know how much money that we have. And reality and reason says if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed these people. A lot of people miss an opportunity to be a part of a miracle with Jesus because reality and reason takes over faith. But I say today, thank God for the Andrews. Thank God for the Andrews.

Thank God for those who can look beyond doubt and beyond reality and see through the lenses of faith, the one who has demonstrated his ability many times before of taking impossibilities and making them possible for us. Because, listen, faith is the currency of heaven. We can respond with doubt. We can respond with reason. We can respond by saying, well, the reality says this.

Or we can respond by saying, I know the Jesus that I serve, and I've witnessed him do miracles in my own life. And so I choose to operate in faith and not by sight. Come on. Is there anybody in the room that has witnessed Jesus do a miracle in your life? Come on, say amen.

Wave at me this morning. Have you witnessed Jesus heal you or heal somebody that you love? Have you witnessed Jesus set people free from the bondage of addiction? Have you seen Jesus do a miracle in a family member or do a miracle in your finances or a miracle in your business? I need somebody to make a little noise this morning and say, I've witnessed the power of Jesus.

Oh, we sang it a moment ago. You're good. Witnessed it. You're strong and I've witnessed it. You're constant.

I've witnessed it and I'm confident. I'll see it again and again. You love and I've witnessed it. You heal and I've witnessed it. Come on.

Healed of the Lord. Somebody say amen. You save and I've witnessed it and I'm confident. I'll save. See it again and again.

To the broken, I'll witness it. To the hurting, I'll witness it. To the lost, I'll witness it and I'll tell them this. I'll tell them what I've witnessed. To my family, I'll witness it.

To my city, I'll witness it. To the nations, I'll witness it and I'll tell them this. Tell them what I've witnessed.

Oh, listen, in the Midst of the darkness, in the midst of the cultural chaos, in the midst of the opinions and the division, we have an opportunity to testify of the goodness of God and to declare what God has done in our lives.

But the catalyst for the miracle was not Andrew. I thank God for the Andrews. But the catalyst for the miracle was a no name boy. The disciples are on a desperate search for food. Jesus has put the responsibility on them.

Can I just remind you today, God never responsibility on you without giving you what you need to fulfill it.

God never gives you an assignment that he cannot also equip you to do. He puts the responsibility on the disciples. And the disciples just kick into panic mode, desperately looking for food. And they run across a little boy who has five loaves of bread. You know the story two fish.

And we learn five things from this no name. And then we're going to close. I want you to jot these down. Number one, history makers are unselfish. History makers are unselfish.

This young boy could have just clung to his sack lunch that day and he could have said, this is mind. It's the nature of a child to be selfish. James Harrison in Australia could be selfish. He could have said, I don't have time. This is my blood.

I can't save every child. But listen to me. History makers are generous with what they have and they steward well everything that God has entrusted to them for the benefit of others. History makers are unselfish. Oh, God's looking for some unselfish history makers at the refuge today.

Here's the second thing we learn. History makers are compassionate. That little boy could have said, hey, I brought food for me. They didn't bring food. That's their problem.

He could have had no compassion, could have had no compassion for the disciples and said, guys, hey, I know you're in a jam. That's your problem. I'm good. I've got food. Let me tell you something about history makers.

History makers refuse to allow apathy and indifference to take over their soul or over their spirit. Because history makers say, jesus, I want to feel what you feel. Jesus, I want to see what you see. Jesus, I want to do whatever I can do to make a difference in the lives of others. Number three, history makers.

Have faith.

Ah, this little boy was seeing the same crowd that everybody else was seeing. He could have said, what good will this do? What good will my little contribution do to this great dilemma? Oftentimes we think or believe the lie of the enemy, that our small efforts or the little we give from a fixed Income or the times that we serve are not really going to matter in the grand scheme of things. But history makers have witnessed God do miracles and it builds faith for the next miracle.

And history makers believe that God does not lie, that God never changes and that he is faithful. Come on, say those three words with me today. He is. Come on, say it again. He is faithful.

Come on. Do you believe that today? Church. Here's the fourth thing that we learned from this little boy. Not only is it that history makers have faith and believe somehow God, my contribution can matter, but history makers believe that Jesus is a multiplier.

He's a multiplier. Addition is one way to increase the quantity or the value of something. But a faster, better way is through multiplication. And I want you to know today, Jesus is a multiplier. He can multiply your growth and your relationship with him.

He can multiply your finances when you need a miracle. Jesus can multiply your peace of mind. I shared this at night Watch Friday night. We see it all the time. So many people who have lost their peace of mind.

You realize since the pandemic, alcohol consumption among women has increased over 320% since the pandemic. Why? Because there are so many people that have lost their peace of mind and they're running to any vice that they can find to feel something on the inside needs to be filled by Jesus first.

You realize in 2022 we had more suicides in America than in all of the history of the United states. It jumped 3% from 2021 to 2022. And in 2021 we had the highest number of suicides that we've ever had in the history United States. Do you see the pattern? Why?

Because people have lost their peace of mind. And I was shocked to learn that the highest age group of suicides, when I would have thought it would have been young people, is not. It's white men age 46 and above. Because people have lost their. I'm telling you today, Jesus can multiply your peace.

I sense my spirit just like I did in the first service. There are some of you that are being tormented in your emotions and tormented in your mind. And you need the multiplier Jesus to multiply your peace and to give you a peace that passes all human logic and understanding.

Jesus can multiply the healing, the anointing, the relationships, your influence. Here's an old name boy who realized there's a miracle needed to feed this massive crowd. But he also knew Jesus had the ability to take his small contribution, multiply it and distribute it to feed the masses. Because of this principle right here, little becomes much when it's placed in the hands of the multiplier. Somebody say amen.

I said somebody say amen. Come on. Your little becomes much when it's placed in the hands of the multiplier. Here's the fifth thing that we learn from this no name boy. It's history makers are comfortable with anonymity.

They don't have to get the credit. They don't care what others say about them, or they don't care about the applause of men. History makers are completely comfortable being a no name. Many times in scripture, we find the names of people who have done significant things, some of them more obscure than others, and we've talked about them during this series. But for some reason, this boy's name, even though this was significant enough of a miracle that it was repeated in all four of the gospels, that for some reason, Jesus chooses to not name him, even though what he did was so huge, even though what he did would be talked about for centuries to come.

And I was asking the Lord this week why you named some of these others. You named Shifra and Puah, and you named some of these other ones that we've talked about. Why would you not name this little boy who was so unselfish and so compassionate and so full of faith? Why would you not name this little boy? And I felt like the Holy Spirit said that.

Because there are times that Jesus chooses to keep history makers anonymous. And we have to be okay with that. We have to be okay with that. We have to say, you know what? I'm not out to make a name for myself.

I'm out to make a difference in the lives of other people. If nobody ever knows what I'm doing for the kingdom, as long as he knows and listen, he sees. He knows every sacrifice. He knows every prayer. He knows every act of service.

He knows every penny that you give. He knows every time that you go out of your way to add value to somebody else's life. And if you'll just say, lord, I don't care if I'm ever known, I leave the results up to you. I'm telling you that your little effort will be multiplied to touch the masses. Come on, bow your heads and close your eyes.

Father, thank you that you invite us into miracles. And I'm praying today that we would see ourselves as history makers, as those who have the potential to really believe that you can take impossible situations and make them possible, and that our little contribution can really become much and be multiplied when it's placed into your hands. Move on our hearts to us. I pray today in the name of Jesus.

I just want to wait a moment. I'm not looking for external response from you. I just feel in my spirit there's just been a battle going on.

And I'm asking you, Holy Spirit, to make this word come alive right now in people's hearts.

I'm asking God that every lie of the enemy would be refuted. Every condemning, judgmental word that's been spoken over people's lives would be silenced and neutralized. I'm asking you, oh God, right now to awaken us to who we are. You've allowed us to be alive in this moment in history so that we can make it different in the lives of others. And every single person hearing my voice, whether in the building or watching online, has the ability to make a difference for you.

For you. Let our motives be right. Let our efforts be blessed. Let our hearts be pure.