John 6:1-21 - Caleb Richardson

Hey, it's good to be back with you guys. Thank

you for letting me be gone last week. Celebrated

31 years of marriage. Heck yeah. That was all

right. So I gotta, I gotta, I'll just stop right

there. My wife says you get in trouble when you

start doing that and start talking about her,

so. Hey, a couple little things about, one more

thing that Jared missed. He didn't talk about

how good the barbecue's gonna be. Right now,

just a little sneak peek, we're working on having

barbecue on Saturday. So we're having a meal

like at 5 o 'clock. And we're working on possibly

doing an entire pig. I don't know if that's going

to work, but that's what we're working on with

the apple in it. And, you know, if any of you

shoot a bear and you want to donate the bear,

we might be able to do the bear on the other

side of the cooker. It's just kind of Alaska

pig. That's all it is. Some of you are like,

that's gross. No, it's not. It's wonderful. All

right. So I'm going to try to pray with a little

less feedback. We're going to do this. Hey, you

guys, if you haven't got a Bible, there's one

in the back. The blue one is. That's for you.

Take that home. We're in the Gospel of John.

We're going to unpack it this morning. But first,

before I start talking and just blowing it out

of my mouth here. We need the Holy Spirit to

do the work, right? So will you pray with me

and we'll just ask the Lord to do the work as

we unpack these verses this morning. Lord, man,

we all face just tremendous amounts of challenges

and problems and hurdles and things throughout

our everyday week, day. For those in the room

right now, Lord, that are facing some really

serious challenges, I pray you will meet them

there this morning. Jesus, you are the fixer

of our problems. You are the one that meets us

in our darkest place. So Jesus, as we go in this

morning and we unpack this section in John, which

is such a cool story, I pray that by your spirit

that you will meet us right where we sit in all

of our stuff. Thank you that we don't have to

come here this morning having it all together.

Thank you that in all of our brokenness, your

arms are extended. You just say, look to me.

Come to me. That's what we want to do this morning.

Amen. Kind of fading in and out, guys. We're

all right? All right, we'll go. If not, I'll

grab the handheld. Hey, on Wednesday morning,

I got the news that Mike Donaldson, who was the

very first elder at the very first Radiant Church

in Fairbanks, went to be with Jesus. I think

I mentioned to you that in January that I was

going up there to go spend some time with him,

and it was really good. And so for about the

last 30 years, Mike and I... have served alongside

each other in ministry. So rewind back even farther.

When Tracy and I were first married, we jumped

right into being involved with Young Life, and

Mike was a volunteer leader there. And my kids

grew up. I don't think I've ever not known Mike.

But he was a good brother, and he was a brother

who loved Jesus. Yes, but it's a bit sobering

because you have somebody you've done so much

life with, and now they're gone. And so, it really

caused me to do a lot of thinking this week,

as you can imagine. When you experience death,

especially when somebody is so close to you,

or someone who you've spent so much time with,

you start thinking about really what matters

most, don't you? I mean, it's, so I found myself

just constantly thinking, in fact, Thursday night,

I think it was, no, Wednesday night is when I

heard about it. Thursday night I was supposed

to, I couldn't sleep for hours, just laying there

and just rehearsing, and it wasn't bad, it was

just good things. Memories of the past, memories

of times that, We struggled and challenged together.

But what I found myself doing is I found myself

thinking, really as you boiled it all down to,

I found myself really honestly thinking about

Jesus. I found myself thinking about Jesus and

eternity and how temporary life is. Death will

do that for you, won't it? Our lives are so packed

with the temporary things of this world. House

projects, family struggles, work problems, politics,

world news. I could just go on and on and on

and you can sit in your chair right now and think

about what it is that's packing your life full

of stuff. I'm not saying those aren't important

things and many of them are very important. And

many of them, but... My question is, where in

all of those struggles, in all of the chaos,

in all of the packed everything in our life moments,

where is Jesus in all of that? Who is Jesus to

you in the middle of all of that? Are your eyes

on Jesus? That's what I found myself when I was

thinking about Mike and all of the history. That's

what it came back down to. And so as we've been

walking verse by verse, letter by letter through

this gospel of John, you can't walk away from

not studying John and it's not pointing us to

Jesus over and over and over again. In fact,

two weeks ago in John chapter 5, I said that

John 5 · chapter mention

the focus was, A call to us to look to Jesus.

And that's why we have these little bracelets.

And I think there's more in the back if you want

one. If not, we'll get them out, throw them on

there. I'm sure there's plenty of them. Just

a reminder to look to Jesus with everything.

Last week, Jared unpacked this idea of come to

Jesus. Come to Jesus. Don't just look at him,

come to him. Move toward him. And this week,

I believe our text is really pushing in front

of us this question of what do we really think

Jesus is? What do we really think Jesus is? Like,

yeah, you're like, yeah, he's God. We talk about,

okay, at a deep, deep level. And so we're going

to, as we enter into the gospel, John is constantly

challenging us to make much of Jesus. It is unapologetically,

it is massively, like every week you're going

to hear like this over and over, what are you

doing with Jesus? Is he Savior and is he really

Lord of your life? That's what John is pushing

in front of us all the time. Is he really your

Savior? And I think the bigger question is, is

he continuing to be Lord of your life? And so,

As we enter into chapter 6, chapter 6 is one

of the most important chapters in this entire

gospel. Why? Well, because it challenges us to

think about how important Jesus is to us. How

serious are you about following him? How important

is Jesus really to you? I can't stand up here

and throw that kind of question in front of you

if I'm not wrestling with it myself. I think

that's one of the things that God did with my

heart this week as I'm working through this and

as I experienced the death of my good friend

Mike. How serious am I about Jesus? I think in

North American church, man, we give a lot of,

there's not a lot of seriousness when it comes

to Jesus. We may all say, oh yeah, I believe

in him. How deep is it for you? And so I think

chapter 6 is going to challenge us in that. Now,

it's a massive chunk, and today is just going

to be part one of what could be four parts. I'm

going to try to do it in two. I'm not going to

do 71 verses in one week, though. I guarantee

that. I can't. I'm not that good. But there is

so much packed in here, and so I encourage you,

even just on your own, read through it over and

over. It is a very critical... And here's why

I think one of the reasons we know it's so critical

is that this story that we're going to unpack

today is in every one of the Gospels, all four.

And you know what the only other story that's

in every one of the Gospels? The resurrection

of Jesus. So this is a pretty big deal. And so

all of... But here's the thing. All of chapter

6 takes place in a 24 -hour period. And so...

Here's something else you need to know as we

go through these verses. And this really kind

of came alive to me as I studied it this week.

That Moses, from the Old Testament, the book

of Exodus, Moses in the Old Testament, and what

God did through Moses is a major thread in chapter

6. So I'm going to go back and forth between

Moses. and Jesus in this situation. But if you

know your Bibles at all, man, let's keep going

back to what went on with Moses, because there's

a thread there. First of all, to the Jews in

Jesus' day, you need to understand how big a

deal Moses was. And we understand him. If in

the church, you've heard of Moses, if you read

your Bible, he's there. But to the Jew in that

day, he was their great hero. In their eyes,

he was responsible for bringing them out of Egypt.

and leading a whole nation. He was the greatest

spiritual leader they ever had. They put Moses

way up there on a pedestal. He was the one that

went up on the mountain to meet with God and

to receive the commandments of God that they

were called to live by. To the Jews, this reverence

for Moses is the background. In John chapter

John 6 · chapter mention

6. You have to understand that. So if you look

back at John chapter 5, starting in verse 41,

John 5 · chapter mention

it says this. For if you believed Moses, you

would believe me. Jesus is what Jesus is saying.

If you believe Moses, because I know he's a big

deal to you all. Like we don't get the weight

of that. But if you believe Moses, you would

believe me. Because he wrote about me. That's

what he says in verse 5. And so in chapter 5,

Jesus connects himself to Moses. Now in chapter

6, we discover that God has sent a greater Moses

to rescue his people. So when you think of Moses,

you have to also think of Jesus as a greater

Moses. That's how he's attaching himself to it,

okay? This rescuer, though, is Jesus. Moses was

the rescuer. Jesus says, I'm greater. That's

what's going on behind. So let's jump in verse

1. We'll get the first four verses. After this,

Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias.

A huge crowd was following him because they saw

the signs that he was performing by healing the

sick. Jesus went up a mountain, sat down there

with his disciples. Now the Passover, a Jewish

festival, was near. One of the commentators said

that as you look at these first four verses,

the first four verses, the context is set. That

Jesus is to be understood as a Moses -type figure.

Okay? First four things you see. One is that

Jesus is leading a crowd just like Moses did.

Second thing is that the crowd is following Jesus

because they saw the signs that he did. was the

one God used to bring plagues on Egypt. Those

signs gave the authority to him as one sent by

God. He gave him the role. He had a power. He

had a staff. He would do these things. And they

were like, whoa, he is connected to God. He comes

from God. The third thing is that his disciples

went up on a mountain. Moses and Joshua went

up on a mountain to receive the law from God.

Fourth thing is that the events took place during

the Passover. Passover was a yearly celebration

that celebrated God's rescue of his people from

Egypt. Incredibly important. You cannot read

your Bible and not realize how many times the

Passover comes up. Old and New Testament. It's

just constantly coming back to it because it's

a critical moment. They're coming, and so when

John drops this statement that it is the Passover,

this is a critical time when there's thousands

upon thousands of people going to Jerusalem to

celebrate this event that happened in the Exodus,

where God rescues his people from Egypt. Now

think about what it must have been like for Moses.

I want you to... Put yourself not only in the

shoes of the disciples today, but also sometimes

in the shoes of Moses and that involvement, okay?

So you're going to use your imagination. Go back

and forth. Think about what it must have been

like for Moses, who was tasked to lead one to

two million people out of Egypt into the desert.

God says, take them. Now, use your imagination.

You're Moses. Up to two million people. There's

no vehicles. There's no cars. There's no transportation.

They're just walking into the wilderness. What

do we know about the desert wilderness? It's

a bad place. It's a hard place. What would the

biggest problem be? Well, it's pretty simple.

Food and water. What would you eat? What would

you drink? Hey, you're drinking too much. We

only have so many gallons, but there's a million

or two million of you, and you've got to drink

water. How in the world is God going to provide

that? So in the story of the Exodus, God would

provide bread called manna. It would appear each

day, and they were taught each day to depend

upon God. That was the theme. That was the theme

of why the manna? You know, the crazy thing about

the man, if you remember the story, is every

time in the morning it would appear and they

were to eat what they needed. But if they collected

it, save it, what would happen to it? It'd rot.

Why? Because God wanted them to learn to depend

every day in every movement upon him. And so

he created this system. He provided water for

them. So in the worst of worst places, in the

biggest challenges, he said, trust me. Depend

upon me. Come to me. Like, I'll provide. Like

Moses, Jesus faced a similar problem. This huge

crowd had followed him. No food. Okay? So look

at verse 5. So when Jesus looked up and noticed

a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip,

where will we buy bread so that people can eat?

He asked this to test him, for he himself knew

what he was going to do. Philip answered him,

200 denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough

for each of them to have a little. One of his

disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother said

to him, there's a boy there who has five barley

loaves and two fish. What are they to so many?

Interesting little story. If you read it in all

four of the Gospels, you'll find that there's

slightly different angles to it. It's the same

story. Jesus is up on this hillside with his

disciples. And from the vantage point, he sees

this huge crowd coming toward him. And one of

the gospels that says he had great compassion

on them because they were like lost without a

shepherd, sheep without a shepherd or something

along that line. He says basically there's great

compassion. And the other gospels we see that

they all come and he sits there and he begins

to teach them. And there's an estimated 15 ,000

to 20 ,000 people. All four gospels tells us

what happened. And presumably, Jesus had taught

them about the kingdom of God, and so they'd

had time. And I don't know how in the world they

did this, but late in the day, they're hungry.

This is the problem. In Luke, it tells us that

the disciples approached Jesus and said to him,

in Luke it says this, send the crowds away so

they can go into the surrounding villages and

countrysides and find food. They had a solution.

We've got to stop the show. There's just too

many people, and people are getting hungry. Lord,

they're glued to you, and what you have to say

is really good, but we've got to come up with

a plan here. You need to send them all away so

they can go get food. Notice what Jesus does

in verse 5 and 6. It says that he uses this situation

as a test. He asks his disciples, in a sense,

what do you do? What do we do? He turns to them,

and he says, what do we do? Why does Jesus ask

this question? What do you think, church? By

the way, if you're new, we dialogue here every

so often, so it's okay. But if you were in this

situation, and Jesus looks to you, you're one

of his disciples, and you see this problem, they've

already brought the problem to Jesus, in the

sense of, like, you've got to send them away.

And he says, well, what do we do? What do you

think? Why do you think Jesus asked them that

question? What do you think? Why would Jesus

just not deal with it? Like, oh yeah, you're

right. Why did he say, hey Craig, you're one

of my disciples. What do we do, Craig? Why would

Jesus pose that kind of question? What's that?

Test their faith. In what way? Like, how does

he want to, what's he want from them? Yeah. Okay?

There's no earthly way this is going to happen.

Acknowledgement. Okay, what did you say, Craig?

Ah. He wanted them to believe in him. Maybe a

belief on a deeper level. He wanted them to see

who he really was. He's asking this question

because he wanted them to understand his power.

He wanted them to believe on a deep level. He's

taking their faith and he's saying, okay, you

may have some faith. Let's drive that faith deeper.

Deeper into who I am. He wanted them to put him

at the center. Ask the question back to Jesus,

well, what do we do, Jesus? It's almost like

Jesus was saying, hey, what do we do? And he

goes, I don't know, what do we do? Turn your

gaze off of your own solving of a problem and

get it back on Jesus. What do you do when problems...

What do you do, church, with the problems you

face? I always think about this. I get the privilege

of preaching God's Word. And I look out over

every one of you and I can see eyes looking back

at me and every one of you have a different set

of issues. Jesus knows that. He's willing to

meet you right there. So what do you do with

the problems? Maybe it's sickness. Maybe it's

just plagued with it. What do you do with the

conflict in your marriage? What do you do with

the challenges you're facing with your children?

What about money problems? What about work problems?

What do you do when you're falsely accused? What

do you do when you've got to be struggling with

addiction? What do you do when somebody's been

unfaithful to you? What do you do when life seems

to be unraveling? What is the problem that seems

impossible for you? Give it to Jesus. Give it

to Jesus. Let go. Let Jesus. Let go of the outcome.

You're not just giving it to Jesus with an expectation.

You're saying, God, I surrender all of it to

you. Even the outcome. Trust. in Jesus. Walk

with Jesus through it. You know, a lot of times

when we have a problem, we're trying to find

a way around the problem. We're trying to find

a way to get away from that problem. And when

Jesus says that, many times that's not what we

get to do. We have to walk through that problem.

The question is, how are you walking through

that problem? Are you walking with Jesus? Are

your eyes on Him? Then I'll walk through it.

Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. The verse that probably

has meant more to me over my life than any other

verse. It says, trust in the Lord with all of

your heart. And don't lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways, know Him. I love how the CSB

says that. I think we have that slide up there.

It says, trust in the Lord with all your heart.

And don't lean on your own understanding. In

all your ways. One of the versions will say,

acknowledge Him. I like this one because it says,

know Him. He will make your paths straight. You

can make sense of it. Maybe not the timing you

want it to be. Maybe not the way you think it

should be, but in His way. This is what God is

asking the Israelites in the wilderness. This

is what He's doing with them. Trust in the Lord

with all things, guys. We're going into a desert.

Are you kidding me? We're thirsty. If you walk

through the Exodus, you see how much they whine

and complain. And we're kind of hard on them,

right? But isn't that our daily challenge? To

trust Jesus with everything? This is the test

that he puts in front of his disciples. This

is also the test he puts in front of us. Look

what Andrew does in verse 9. In verse 9, he says

he brings a boy who has five loaves and two fishes.

Just to kind of give you perspective of what

this is, because we don't even eat this way.

Five barley loaves and two fishes. Barley loaves

were all the poor people ate, just so you know.

And they were not very big. So I've got five

little Sailor Boy pilot bread cracker type things

that... are here, it would not be anything more

than this. And in here is probably two or three

or four sardines, which is about the size of

the fish that they're talking about. And no,

I don't eat these on a regular basis. He pulls

them out and says, this is all we got. This is

all we got. Andrew says, Jesus, this is all I

got to offer. It's almost comical, isn't it?

10 ,000, 15 ,000 people? Are you kidding me?

This is what? This is it? For a long time I thought

about this, like, is he just being sarcastic?

Like, this doesn't make any sense. Like, this

is it. Look what Jesus does. Look at how Jesus

responds to the problem and their solution. Look

at verse 10. Jesus said, have the people sit

down. Then there was plenty of grass for them

in that place. So they sat down and the men numbered

5 ,000. The reason we know there's 10 to 15 is

that when they numbered people, they only would

count the men in that culture. But men never

came alone. So we know that there's at least

that many more people. So that's why they say

10 to 15. I want you to picture this scene. They're

there on the hillside. Then Jesus took the loaves.

And after doing what? That's why we give thanks

for our food. Jesus said, give thanks. And then

he distributes to those who are seated. So also

with the fish, as much as they wanted. When they

had their full, he told the disciples, collect

the leftovers so that nothing is wasted. So then

they collected and filled 12 baskets with the

pieces from the barley loaves and what was left

over by those who had it. who had eaten. Just

like Moses, Jesus miraculously feeds the multitude.

He takes five little loaves and two fish and

turns it into an all -you -can -eat buffet. Crazy.

You're like, really? This is the point you're

like, I don't know if I believe that. Okay. He's

either Lord, lunatic, or a liar. One of those

three. But he did it. Two things that stick out

from this miracle or sign of Jesus. One, that

he loves us. He meets our needs, whatever those

are. The second thing is that the feeding of

the 5 ,000 sets the stage for Jesus' teaching,

which is coming in the next chapters. This is

a critical moment. What Jesus does here sets

the stage for the future. That he is the bread

of life. In fact, what he's going to do in the

future, and we'll see this next week and on,

is that he, in fact, somebody was telling me,

it's crazy how many times in John he references

himself as bread to be eaten. And he says, I'm

the bread. He's going to go down that road, but

we're not going to quite go there yet. God miraculously

meets the needs of the people through his son.

Jesus. So the bread or what you get is not the

focus, though. Look at me, church. This isn't

the focus. What you and I get is not the focus.

The signs were not for that purpose, were they?

Jesus was the focus. They were there to point

our affections, our attention to Jesus. And so,

before we keep going in this story, think about

what you would do if you were one of those in

the crowd that had just been fed. You're on the

hillside, okay? I'm going to ask you to respond

to this. You're sitting on the hillside. You've

just been fed as much as you can eat. And you

just experienced this buffet of God's provision.

How would you respond? What would be your response?

Take a nap? Gratitude? Wow. I mean, you think

about all those people and they're just like,

where did this come from? How do they, we can

have as much as we want? Remember, if you're

bringing barley loaves, good chance you're not

got much money. And all of a sudden, you're just

eating whatever you can have. As much as you

want. And they're sitting around. There's a buzz.

It begins to happen. Let's look at how they responded,

okay? Verse 14. John 6, verse 14 says, When the

John 6:14

people saw the sign that he had done, they said,

This is truly the prophet. Underline that in

your Bible. That's a critical word. Not prophet.

It's the prophet. Who is... to come into the

world. Therefore, when Jesus realized that they

were about to come and take him by force and

make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain

by himself. Now, there's a lot going on. We're

going to touch a lot more of this on as we jump

in next week to this. But here's, they wanted

to follow Jesus as king. Good problem, right?

He just created a huge fan club. 20 ,000 people.

He just met their needs. The king is here. Jesus

is the king. And it's a king for their benefit.

A king that would give them freedom over Rome.

They wanted to make him their puppet. No, what?

Yeah, they wanted to make him their puppet. Meaning,

They were wanting to follow Jesus because of

what he could do for them. This is what's going

on. The Jesus of the Bible is not our prophet.

He's not. But that is how we often treat him,

isn't it? I'm guilty of it. We bargain with him.

We follow him as long... is it works for us.

We want the benefits and the blessings Jesus

can give us without actually having to obey or

to surrender to Him fully. That's what I struggle

with. Every one of us in this room want what

Jesus has for us. If you deny that, something's

going on. Because what He gives is good. It's

right. It's perfect, right? But what Jesus is

saying is, these things, what you really want

is me. Not the stuff. Jesus will address this

later in chapter 6, but now he withdraws. He

sees what's going on, he knows their hearts,

and he withdraws into the mountain by himself.

Look at verse 16. When evening came, his disciples

went down to the sea, got into the boat, and

started to cross the sea to Capernaum. Darkness

had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come

to them. A high wind rose and the sea began to

turn. After they had rowed about three or four

miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He

was coming near the boat and they were afraid.

But he said to them, it is I. Don't be afraid.

Then they were willing. To take him on board.

And at once, the boat was at the shore where

they were heading. Now, if you read all the other

accounts of this, it's crazy. It's like they're

in this massive storm. And they're scared. These

are fishermen. These are experienced boat people.

Jesus had sent them across. And as you think

about what we just read, we need to remember

the story of Exodus and the Israelites. We've

got to go back to that story again, right? In

the Red Sea. The Egyptian army was in hot pursuit

of the Israelites, led by this vengeful pharaoh

who wanted them dead. He wanted to take them

down for all the pain and suffering. Remember,

he'd released them, and then he changed his mind

again, and he was coming after them. But they're

standing at the sea, this Red Sea, and the army's

coming, and all they got is their stuff. They

don't have any way to defend themselves. And

they're facing this problem that just seemed

bigger than they could ever imagine. God told

Moses to stretch out his staff toward the sea.

And when Moses did that, the sea parted and the

people walked through on the other ground. And

we know that they got to the end. The army came

in. Ocean swallowed them up. Death was theirs.

Crazy story. In our story, Jesus sends his disciples

across the sea without him. The sea starts to

churn, and it gets really rough. Why is the sea

rough? Because of the high wind that had kicked

in. A powerful wind was blowing, so the sea was

churning. And look what it says in Exodus 14,

what happened with the Israelites. Then Moses

stretched out his hand over the sea, and the

Lord drove the sea back with a powerful east

wind. And all of the wind all of that night turned

the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided

and the Israelites went through the sea on dry

land with the waters like the wall to them on

their right and on their left. What do you think

is going on with the winds of the disciples as

they go out in the boat? And all of a sudden

they end up on the dry land. So what's going

on in their minds? They've gone through this

wind. It's crazy. Jesus boards and all of a sudden

they're on the bank. And they went through that.

They have this background, this history, all

the stuff that's gone on that day before. And

all of a sudden they're rowing for their life

and they can't figure out what to do. And there's

a problem. And all of a sudden they're afraid.

They see this. what is coming across them walking

on the water like it's like weird like movie

stuff and they realize it's jesus and they say

he says don't be afraid it's me and they let

him into the boat and the minute they let on

the boat they're on dry land what would be going

through your little puny brain as a disciple

if that was you and you're sitting on the other

side what do you think what do you think jay

what do you think What just happened? Why would

Jesus do this miracle? Why the winds? Why not

just meet them on the other side? I think every

time you see a sign in the Gospels, you've got

to ask this question. Why? Why would Jesus do

that? Jesus walked to them on the water for the

same reason he fed the 5 ,000. Same reason. So

they would witness his power and understand and

know him at a deeper level. He wanted the roots

of their life to go deep into who he was. Get

me. And we're going to see this unpacked in the

rest of John chapter 6. He's going to go even

John 6 · chapter mention

deeper with them in this area. And he wants to

do that with us. He says, stop having this shallow

faith. I want you to see how big I am. how wonderful

I am, how I can deal with your problems, how

I can deal with your life, how I am bigger than

those things. That's what he's saying. And so

when he gets in the boat, they're afraid, of

course, and he gets in and goes, what's the difference,

Jesus? Jesus is the difference. He's showing

them that he is their Savior. Who saved them

in the boat? Jesus. Who fed them on the hill?

Jesus. Who turned water into wine? Jesus. You

just go down miracle after miracle. Who did it?

Jesus. He's our Savior. He's calling them, though,

not just to say, yep, you're my Savior, but I

want you, I want to call you to a deeper level

as Lord of your life. Are you ready to go there?

This theme carries us all the way through the

gospel. And it carries us all the way through

the birth of the new church in Acts. And it carries

us through all the epistles. And it carries us

all the way through. And he's calling us to say,

are you want me, is Jesus not just your Savior,

but is he your Lord? Are you serious about that?

Are you ready to go there? Are you ready to have

a deeper level of faith in him? Not a faith that

earns anything. But a faith that trusts in a

Savior where you had nothing to do with it. Did

they have anything to do with the food? Did they

have anything to do with the storm being calmed?

No. It was all Jesus. He's calling them to not

have a faith where Jesus is your puppet. Where

he is there for your needs, although he will

meet your needs. Maybe not always the way you

want him to. But is he Lord? He's calling us

to a faith where Jesus is Savior. And you accept

the fact that he paid for your sins. You're not

trying to earn it anymore. But you're honestly

looking at your life and you're going, I'm a

mess. It's me that is in need of a Savior. I

am. Struggling. A lot of the stuff I'm struggling

with, a lot of the problems I'm facing is because

of my own brokenness. And I can do nothing to

earn God's saving grace. But He gives it anyway.

He is your Savior. He paid for your sins when

He hung on that cross. He is your Savior. He

did it for us. And then he says, I'm calling

you to a faith where Jesus is Lord over all.

In every area of your life. Are you good at it?

No. I struggle with it every day, just like you.

But here's the call. He's calling every one of

us, every day, to say, Jesus, I want you to be

Lord. That means rule over all of my life, in

every area of my life. All to Jesus I surrender.

All to him I freely give. That's what he's calling

us to. In fact, the crazy thing is that's what

community is for too, is to one another each

other to that place. That's why we need each

other, because we're all a bunch of broken -hearted,

jacked -up people who need a Savior, who need

that Lord, and we need to be reminded, we need

each other to push each other toward that. That's

why we're in a marriage where your marriage needs

to be centered around Christ. If it's not centered

around Christ, you have two individual selfish

people. And Jesus says, no, that's not the way

it's supposed to work. It's not the way I designed

it. I designed myself to be at the center where

the two of you are pulling to me. Together. For

Jesus is Lord. He's Lord over all. I want a band

to come on up, you guys. Shut this down. This

week I really want you to think through. What

does it mean for me to surrender all of my life

to the Lord? Not everything is going to happen

in one moment. But what areas do you need to

lay down at the feet of Jesus and say, you got

this, not me. All to Jesus. I surrender. I think

the beautiful picture, we celebrate communion

every week. And please, don't take communion.

You're not a follower of Jesus. We have communion

in the back. And for us, it is a regular, not

just a reminder, but how significant Jesus really

is. That his body was broken, that his blood

was shed for me, Savior. And that what he did

requires, it calls me to consume him to say,

I need all of you. In fact, we're going to unpack

this next week in the last part of chapter 6

where he just kind of goes into this fact. He

says, eat me. Drink me. And you're like, what?

What he's saying is take me in. Make me Lord

of your life. So as you go to the communion table

today, go there with this posture of saying,

God, I know I'm a mess, but I take these elements

and remember who you really are. And I give my

life, I continue to surrender to the lordship

of you, Jesus, in my life. And I thank you for

your body that was broken for me and your blood

that was shed for me. That I may have real life

in you. Let's pray together. Lord. It's only

by the power of your spirit that any of this

can really happen in our lives. Thank you, Jesus,

that you love us so much that you provide for

us. Thank you that you love us so much that you

would tell us over and over, make me Lord of

your life. Put me first in your life. Lord, today

as we sit here and respond, I pray that you will

help us. To deal with our own hearts right where

we sit. To help us to surrender to you. In your

name we pray.