God is Up to Something" - Pastor Michael O. Oyedokun, II, M. Div.

God intentionally places people in situations that expose human limitation so divine power can be recognized. Using the feeding of the five thousand as the lens, the account emphasizes that Jesus asked questions not from ignorance but to reveal the disciples’ smallness and stimulate their faith. The scene contrasts human calculation—counting money, reciting impossibilities—with divine provision: what begins as a meager offering of two fish and five loaves becomes abundance and leftovers when entrusted to Christ. Testing is reframed as preparation; weakness is the raw material God uses to craft lasting strength and dependence.

The narrative pushes against a comfort-driven faith that prefers safety to stretch. Rather than shame people for failure, God’s design exposes inability so that reliance on him becomes unavoidable and transformative. The disciples’ logical responses reveal a common spiritual posture: measuring problems by personal resources instead of God’s unlimited capacity. Yet the text also promises that those who yield will see continued multiplication—bread that keeps appearing as it is distributed—and will gather more than they started with.

This is an invitation to practical trust. When God asks difficult things, the appropriate response is not a list of reasons why it cannot be done but a posture of curiosity—“How, Lord?”—and readiness to participate. The emphasis lands on participation in God’s work: Jesus blesses, breaks, and entrusts the pieces to human hands so that ordinary people become carriers of supernatural provision. Finally, the passage rounds into pastoral urgency: commitment to Christ secures a life formed by grace, and the call to trust is both immediate and eternal—responsive faith positions a life to be used and multiplied by God’s hands.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God sets people up intentionally God sometimes orchestrates circumstances that make human solutions impossible so that dependence on him becomes the only viable response. This setting is not entrapment but a divine strategy to reveal both the insufficiency of self-reliance and the supremacy of God’s provision. Recognizing the setup reframes hardships as formative appointments, not accidental failures. [14:39]
• 2. Weakness precedes spiritual strength The pathway to authentic power often runs through acknowledged weakness: admitting inability creates the space where God’s strength is displayed. Yielding the illusion of self-sufficiency allows grace to rebuild and enlarge calling and capacity. Spiritual maturity grows less from achievement and more from surrendered dependence. [19:21]
• 3. Faith looks beyond human resources A faithful response asks “How?” of God rather than cataloguing reasons why the task cannot be done. Shifting the lens from ledgers and limits to the character and past acts of God opens imagination to miraculous provision. Faith reorients action toward obedience and away from arithmetic. [10:54]
• 4. Divine multiplication leaves leftovers When limited gifts are entrusted to Christ, provision can increase as they are distributed, producing abundance and still more to spare. The miracle isn’t merely meeting need; it creates surplus for future ministry and testimony. Generosity practiced in dependence on God positions life to receive and steward overflow. [38:27]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:52] - Opening prayer and praise
• [03:31] - Exalting the name of Jesus
• [06:14] - God expects increase in faith
• [08:29] - Feeding of the five thousand introduced
• [09:32] - The puzzling question in verse six
• [14:39] - God set them up intentionally
• [20:50] - Seeing versus experiencing God
• [31:05] - Philip counts pennies, misses Christ
• [37:01] - Blessing, breaking, and multiplication
• [44:33] - Invitation: commit your life to Jesus

Here is a Bible study guide based on the sermon summary:

Bible Reading

John 6:1-14 (ESV)
1 After this Jesus went away across 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 did on those who were diseased.
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, that each may take a little."
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
9 "Here there is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they for so many?"
10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there were many in this 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. Likewise also the fish, as much as they wanted.
12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the leftover pieces, that nothing may be lost."
13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves and the two fish.
14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This really is the prophet who is to come into the world!"

Observation questions

1. When Jesus asked Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" the text states, "He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do." [09:32] What does this reveal about Jesus' intention behind asking the question?
2. Philip's response focused on the cost and quantity of bread needed, stating, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little." [10:54] What was Philip's perspective in this situation?
3. Andrew points out the meager amount of food available: "Here there is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they for so many?" [35:05] What principle was missed by focusing on the smallness of the offering?
4. After the meal, Jesus instructed the disciples to gather the leftovers. [38:27] What is significant about the amount of food that was collected?

Interpretation questions

1. The sermon suggested that God intentionally places people in situations that expose human limitation so divine power can be recognized. [14:39] How does the feeding of the five thousand illustrate this principle?
2. The passage highlights the contrast between human calculation and divine provision. [10:40] How does focusing on human resources versus God's unlimited capacity change our approach to challenges?
3. The text emphasizes that weakness is the raw material God uses to craft lasting strength and dependence. [19:21] How does acknowledging our own inability pave the way for God's strength to be displayed in our lives?
4. The disciples' response was to catalog reasons why the task couldn't be done, rather than asking "How?" [31:23] What does this reveal about the difference between a faith that measures problems by personal resources and one that looks to God's character and past acts?

Application questions

1. Think about a time when God has intentionally placed you in a situation where your own resources or abilities were clearly insufficient. [14:39] How did that experience ultimately reveal God's power in your life?
2. We often fall into the trap of "counting pennies" like Philip, focusing on our limitations and what we lack. [35:20] When faced with a task or challenge that seems impossible, what are some practical ways to shift your focus from human helplessness to divine resources?
3. The sermon spoke about weakness being the pathway to authentic power. [19:21] In what areas of your life do you tend to rely on your own strength, and how could intentionally embracing your weakness lead to greater dependence on God?
4. When God asks us to do something difficult, the sermon encouraged a posture of curiosity and readiness to participate, asking "How, Lord?" instead of listing reasons why it can't be done. [31:23] What is one specific thing God might be asking you to do right now, and how can you respond with a "How, Lord?" attitude?
5. The miracle resulted in abundance and leftovers, with twelve baskets full. [38:27] How can we be more intentional about entrusting our "meager offerings" to Christ, trusting that He can multiply them for His purposes and even create overflow for future ministry?
6. The passage calls for practical trust and participation in God's work. [36:28] How can you actively participate in God's work this week, even in small ways, by offering what you have to Him?