Maybe you just need one fish. 1. What’s in your hand to take care of a need? Matthew 17:24-27 “24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” 25 He *said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” 26 When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. 27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.” It must have been unusual to be around Jesus. Look at how this situation unfolded. Peter is having a conversation with the tax collectors outside so he comes in to ask Jesus about it. And before he can say anything about it, Jesus asks him a question about taxes. Peter was probably thinking, “Ya know, I was just about to ask you a question about that.” The question that Jesus asks him basically clarifies the answer that Peter was looking for. The answer was that Jesus should not have had to pay the tax, but in order not to cause an issue with the tax collectors, He did it anyway. The money was not the issue. Jesus could have gotten the money a thousand different ways, but He used the situation as a way to teach us a principle.
In order to get the money, Jesus asked Peter to use a skill that he was already trained in and very good at doing. And that skill was fishing. Jesus could have told him to dig a hole, and in it he would find a jar with a coin. Or He could have asked him to climb a tree and in it he would find a bird nest that had a coin. Jesus could have had Peter do anything...or nothing at all, to get the tax money. But isn’t it interesting that He asked a fisherman to go fishing? He wanted to allow Peter to use the talent that He had given him for catching fish to be the way He provided what they needed. Notice that in verse 24 the tax collectors only asked about Jesus paying the tax, but when Peter did what Jesus asked him to do, there was enough for both of them. Jesus wants to use the talents he’s placed in you to provide what you need. If you will use your talent for His glory, to see that His will is done on earth, He will always provide what you need in the process. When God is about to ask you to do something, He may begin by asking you a simple question: “What’s in your hand?” The thought behind the question is “What are you good at?” There is probably something closely related to that very near your hands at any given time. That is exactly the question God asked Moses when He spoke to him at the burning bush. The answer was “A Shepard’s staff.”
You know the story of how Moses is in the dessert tending a flock of sheep when he saw a bush that was on fire. But after a while it didn’t burn up, so he decided to go over and investigate. God starts talking to Moses, telling him to go tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites. But that wasn’t something Moses was excited to go do. Moses starts questioning God about what to do if the children of Israel don’t believe God has sent him to deliver them. Exodus 4:1-5 “Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” 3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand — 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Why was Moses so concerned that the people wouldn’t believe God had sent him as their deliverer? It was because it wasn’t the first time he had tried to play that role...and the first time he did it, he was rejected. We read about it in the book of Acts. Stephen is preaching to the men who are about to stone him and he mentions Moses. Acts 7:24-25 “24 And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. 25 And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.”
Moses tried to be the deliverer when he killed the Egyptian who was mistreating an Israelite. He had already realized that God had placed him in a position of influence for that purpose. But the Israelites didn’t recognize him as their deliverer. He had the strength and polish as a leader raised in the house of Pharaoh, but he wasn’t ready to lead, because at that point, he didn’t have the humility of a Shepherd. You see, after Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled to the desert to escape punishment, but God used those desert years to train him as a Shepherd. And later, when it was time for him to deliver Israel, he wasn’t just a strong leader, he was a compassionate shepherd. When it was his time, what was in his hand? A shepherd’s staff. That’s what happened to me also. While being a film director, almost 5 years ago I had explored the thought that God wanted me to be a pastor and I even preached at a church when the pastor asked if I would fill in during his vacation. But it was at least 3 years later before God called me to start FUEL, because I still had to go through a year of ministry training in the Spiritual desert of San Jose, California. When I was ready, God led me to start a church that looks more like a studio than a normal church. So let me ask you. What’s in your hand that God can use for His glory and to take care of your need? For Peter it was a fishing pole. For Moses it was a Sheppard’s staff. For me it was a camera. In each case it wasn’t some drastic new thing. It was a new purpose for an existing talent. You see, God has already equipped you to do what He has called you to do. It was built into you from day one. God won’t ask you to do something that He hasn’t already equipped you to do. Now that doesn’t mean you already know everything you need to
know and have it all together ready to go. It just means that the skills to accomplish His purpose for your life are already built into you. All God wants from you, is the thing He put in you. He gave you your gifts and talents, and His call on your life is to use those things for His glory. Whatever you’re good at, that is your calling. There is no need to struggle wondering what God’s call on your life is. Just think about what you love to do and are gifted at. That’s what He gave you to serve Him with. Take a minute to consider what He has gifted you with, to use for His glory? 2. What do you have that God can multiply? Maybe you need two fish John 6:5-7 “5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” Mark6:38 “38 And He *said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!”...” John 6:8-13 “8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there
was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.” Again, in this passage, Jesus wants to partner with His disciples to produce the miracle. This time He didn’t ask them what was in their hand, He asked them to go see what someone else had in theirs. And not only did they have to find someone with something in their hand, that person had to be willing to give it all to Jesus. But that’s just how God operates. We have to understand that it all belongs to the king. We never owned it, so when He needs it back, we are supposed to bring it gladly. He allows us to use His resources provide for our needs...when we are willing bring them back to Him. then, not only does it still provide for our need, but he multiples it to provide for the needs of everyone else also. That is the principle behind tithing. All the money He has trusted you with actually belongs to him. You are just the caretaker of it for a while and when God asks you to bring a portion of it back, that’s what you’re supposed to do. But what happens when a caretaker decides that he is actually the owner and spends all the money on himself? He has become a thief.
That’s what Malachi 3:8 means when God says: “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” You can only steal something that doesn’t belong to you. You can’t be accused of robbing God if it belongs to you. But clearly, God says that it belongs to Him. Is there something that you need to bring to God? God asks that you honor Him with what He’s trusted you with first and He will take care of you. What has God trusted you with, that you can bring back to him for a greater purpose? Just like the boy with the bread and fish, how can you partner with God to provide something He can multiply to be the miracle you or other people may need? 3. What’s under your control, that can be used for ministry? Maybe you need two boats full of fish. Luke 5:1-3 “Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. Jesus asked Peter if He could borrow his boat. But it wasn’t just so He could back away and teach the crowds. It was so he could see if Peter was willing to use his business resources to do God’s work.
Peter and his family were in the fishing business. And business had not been good. Peter and his crew had been out all night fishing and had not caught anything. The were now on the shore cleaning their nets, which meant they were done trying. They were frustrated and tired, but that is when Jesus requested that they take Him out into the water a little bit. This is where Peter has a choice to allow Jesus to use his business resources or just say no. Peter makes the right choice and allows Jesus to use his boat. After Jesus is finished teaching, He does something unusual. He tells Peter to take the boat out fishing. Luke 5:4 “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” It’s at this point that Peter tells Him that there is no use in doing that, because they were professionals and had already been unsuccessful. However, He has just heard Jesus teach and perhaps he has hope that this teacher knows something that he doesn’t. Peter had to be willing to do something that made him look foolish to his crew and the other fishermen around the area. Luke 5:5-7 “Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.”
Peter made a small investment in the ministry of Jesus, but he got a large return. As I said in the beginning, if you will use what you have for His glory and to see that His will is done on earth, He will always provide what you need in the process. What do you “own” (or have control over) that you will release when God asks for it, for His use? Are you willing to do the big things that God asks? Even when they make you look foolish? Here are some questions to consider tonight. What’s in your hand to take care of a need? What do you have that God can multiply? What’s under your control that can be used for ministry? No matter what your answer is to each of these questions, the first thing you have to decide is this: Am I willing to bring them to God?
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