You would please turn with me now in your Bibles to John chapter 6. John chapter 6. We'll be looking together tonight at verses 1 through 14. Please follow in your Bibles as I read John 6, 1 through 14. After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 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? He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, 200 denarii would not buy bread enough for each of them to get a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, there's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many? Jesus said, have the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down, about 5,000 in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated, so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost. So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, this is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world. The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 is the only one of Jesus' miracles recorded in all four of the Gospels. And I do believe that tells us that there's something special, some special significance to this miracle. And the more you study it, the more depth and riches you find here. This miracle teaches us a central truth about Jesus. In the Gospel of John, it's the fourth of seven miraculous signs specially chosen and recorded by John to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And certainly this miracle reveals that truth about Jesus, that He is the Christ, the Son of God, no ordinary man. And it's the truth about Jesus that we learn from this miracle that is the most important truth of this text. But this miracle also, in a wonderful way, illustrates many spiritual lessons J.C. Ryle says of this passage, the whole miracle is a picture, a great acted parable of the glorious gospel. And so tonight I'd like us to focus on one main spiritual lesson from this miracle, and it's this, giving the bread of life, Jesus, to a hungry world. giving the bread of life, Jesus, to a hungry world. I have three points tonight, and the first is this. The condition of the world. The condition of the world. Consider with me, if you will, the multitude of people fed by Jesus on this occasion. The crowd consisted of 5,000 men, not counting the women and children. Most likely, it was a group of at least 10,000 to 15,000 people total. John tells us they were following Jesus because of the signs that He was doing on the sick. Jesus and the disciples had traveled by boat to the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. This multitude followed Him there by foot." Mark tells us that they ran there, that when they learned that Jesus was crossing the sea by boat, they actually ran there because they were seeking something from Him. They ran there by foot in trying to beat Him to the other side. And that would have been a distance of some miles. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all described that area northeast of the Sea of Galilee as a desolate place. When Jesus arrived, we're told that he taught them and he healed their sick all through the day. Evening was approaching and this vast multitude was now understandably hungry. This multitude of men, women, and children, brethren, bear a striking resemblance to all of mankind living in this world apart from God and apart from the grace of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The world, like that northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee, is a very desolate place spiritually. The whole world, the Bible tells us, lies under the sway of the evil one, the devil. And what is that like? What kind of spiritual condition does that create for the world, the world of humanity living apart from God and apart from the grace of God and the gospel, living under the sway of the evil one? What is that like? What is he like? He is a deceiver. He's a liar. He blinds the eyes of men and women and young people. He oppresses. He enslaves. He devours. And he destroys. Men and women and children are like this multitude running from one thing to the next, from one experience to the next. from one attempt at happiness to the next, trying to find, searching for meaning and for purpose, attempting to fill that nagging hunger in their souls with all the counterfeit gods of this world. Isaiah chapter 58, we read earlier, speaks of the bonds of wickedness. the straps of the yoke, the oppressed, the hungry, the homeless poor, the naked. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus reads and applies to himself the prophecy of Isaiah 61, 1 and 2, which foretold that Messiah would set captives free, give sight to the blind, and free those who are oppressed. These passages remind us, brethren, of the condition of the world without God, without grace, without hope. It's a world of people all around us, our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers, our family members, who are image bearers of God with souls that will never die, living under the oppressive bondage of sin and spiritual delusion and lies and Satan and the oppression of death without hope, blind to what they truly need. blind to what would truly satisfy that intense hunger, that aching in their souls. They know they need something. They're searching for something, but they don't know what it is. They don't know where to find it. All we, like sheep, Isaiah tells us, have gone astray. And we're wandering far from God, the source of life, the source of peace, the source of satisfaction. We're like this multitude in our passage, running from one place to the next, trying to fill ourselves up with things that can never truly satisfy. And all the while, what's happening? The chains get heavier and heavier. The oppression gets harder and more brutal. The soul hungrier. And so, brethren in Christ, Christian here tonight, I remind you of this truth because it's vital for us as the people of God, as Christians, to maintain our conviction that apart from Jesus Christ and the gospel of Christ, our family members, our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, our fellow human beings, both near and far, are starving to death spiritually in this desolate world. Don't be fooled by appearances. Don't look at men the way men look at men. How do we do that? On the outside, right? Don't be deceived by material and earthly success. Don't be deceived by material and earthly and temporary happiness. I don't think we should deny that in God's kindness, even to the wicked, there are moments of happiness. that people experience. But don't be deceived by that temporary happiness. And let us not, brethren, fall into the trap of wondering, just wondering, just letting that seed of question come into our minds whether or not people really need Jesus. Whether or not people really need to be bothered by this gospel thing. I mean, isn't the world telling us that? That's fine for you. It's fine for you. Only so long as you keep it to yourself. And aren't we hearing more and more and feeling the pressure more and more that this world would sure be a happy, peaceful place if you Christians would stop trying to force your beliefs down our throats? Right? We feel that pressure, and maybe we fall into the trap of looking at the world through earthly eyes, looking on the exterior, looking at our friends and our neighbors and our family members and thinking, you know what? It seems like they are doing alright. Do they really need Jesus? Do they really need the Gospel? Whatever appearances may be, we can't forget Jesus' sobering words. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? On some level, brethren, our passion for the conversion of the lost depends on our conviction that those without Jesus are in fact lost, wandering, poor, hungry, and perishing. In this miracle, we see a spiritual picture, a picture of the spiritual condition of our world. Secondly, Let's move on to consider the all-sufficiency of Jesus. The all-sufficiency of Jesus. I said earlier that the most important truth we learn from this miracle is what it teaches us about Jesus. In a number of ways, Jesus displays for us his all-sufficiency to meet every physical and spiritual human need. Consider first of all the display of his compassion in this miracle, the display of his compassion. Verse five of our text says, Jesus, lifting up his eyes then and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, said to Philip, where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? Now Matthew, Mark, and Luke all inform us that when Jesus saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion for them. So I think we can read that into our text here in John 6. 5. Jesus lifting up His eyes and seeing the multitude was moved with compassion and asked Philip, where are we going to buy bread so that these people can eat? Mark in particular adds that Jesus was moved with compassion for them For they were like sheep without a shepherd. When Jesus looked at them and saw them, that's what he saw. And what he saw, image bearers of God wandering about like sheep without a shepherd, moved his soul to pity, to compassion. You see, brethren, again, why I took the time on that first point to remind us of the true condition of the world in which we live, we must notice and we must be moved by the condition of the world because Jesus noticed and he cared. They were like sheep without a shepherd. What's that like? They were lost. They were vulnerable. They were hungry. They were in danger. They were in spiritual jeopardy. And that moved Jesus to pity, and that pity moved Him to action, to do something to alleviate the need that He perceived. He healed them. He taught them. and he cared for them and fed them. The one who came and died to set captives free is still moved with compassion. over the condition of a world of people, a world of image bearers of God languishing under the guilt and the slavery and the bitter effects of sin. He's not indifferent, brethren, as he looks upon the multitudes today. He's not stoical, right? He doesn't have to pamper his emotional life by distancing himself from the need. In his unique person as God and man, he permits himself to enter in to the cares and the burdens of this world. Our Savior is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I'm going to quote Ryle again. And maybe as an aside, let me just encourage you, if you've never done it or if it's been a while, take up Ryle on the Gospels. Maybe you've been feeling a bit dry or cold in your spiritual life and in your devotional life. Take up Ryle on the Gospels. That might be the best thing I say tonight, if you would do it. Listen to Ryle. display of Christ's compassion in this miracle. Ryle says, it's a poor theology which teaches that Christ cares for none except believers. There is warrant from scripture for telling the chief of sinners that Jesus pities them and cares for their souls, that Jesus is willing to save them and invites them to believe and be saved. We see the display of his compassion. Secondly, we also see the display of his power in this miracle. This is perhaps the most basic truth about Jesus that we must learn from this miracle. And here's where I especially want the attention of the children and the young people here tonight, but maybe us older folks need to get this again too. And we just read this story, didn't we, about Jesus taking five loaves and two fish and just blessing it and then starting to break it apart and distribute it. And 10 to 15,000 people were stuffed full and 12 baskets of fragments remained. Okay, we just read about that. Most of you kids here tonight have probably heard this since you could hear anything. You've understood this parable or this miracle Since you could understand anything, you've heard it all your life. So let's get this very basic point. He really did this. Are you getting that? He really did this. And what I want you to do, especially children and young people, is I want you to start making the connection in your mind between the truth that Jesus really did this and what it says about who he is. And then the next important step or connection to make is how do we respond to this truth about him? He really did this. He really took those five loaves and two fish and so multiplied them in their substance. This wasn't just a mind trick that he played on them. There are some really wacky explanations of what Jesus did by skeptics, by unbelievers, but he really multiplied these things in substance to the extent that he fed 5,000 men plus women and children until they were full. This is a display of his power. But what kind of power is this? This is creative power. and not the kind that we have, or maybe we can take some ingredients, right? And God has given us enough wisdom to blend those ingredients. We take things that already exist, and we can change them or blend them in a way that they turn out to be something else, or something pretty, or something useful. We're not talking about that. It's like the power that said in the beginning, let there be light, and there was light. It's like the power that created a complex human being out of dust. It's the power of one, listen, who is sovereign Lord over the material world. And what kind of power is that? It's divine power. What does this miracle teach us about Jesus? He's divine. He's God. And that's why John wrote this down for us. Because he saw it with his own eyes, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John recorded this miracle, knowing that Jesus did many other signs, but he recorded these, and this one included, that you, even you who are hearing this miracle again tonight, And what it says about Jesus, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name. So I'm asking you tonight, do you believe that? Do you believe that about Jesus? If you made that connection between what this miracle that you've heard about your whole life says about him, that he is not an ordinary man, that he is God who came into the world and became a man and performed miracles like this, miracles of divine power that bear witness about his uniqueness, about his person. And though He had all divine power, though He is sovereign Lord over the created universe, the material world, this same all-powerful Lord allowed material nails to pierce His hands and His feet and hang Him to a cross. And He experienced death and He was raised from the dead to be the Savior of sinners who trust in Him. This miracle teaches us that Jesus is God, that He can create something out of nothing. It teaches us that what is impossible for us is possible for Him. No need is too great. No condition is too desperate. No sinner is too far gone for Jesus. He's a compassionate, Savior. He's a powerful Savior. Notice finally the display of His abundant provision. The display of His abundant provision. John says in verses 11 and 12, those who received the bread and fish from Jesus ate as much as they wanted, and they had eaten their fill. Again, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all use the same expression in their accounts. They say this, and they all ate and were satisfied. All four Gospels report that the disciples gathered up twelve baskets full of the fragments that were left over from what Jesus had miraculously multiplied and distributed. Twelve baskets full. Now much has been written and speculated about the significance of twelve baskets of leftovers. Whatever else it may mean, we must not miss the obvious. Jesus is able and willing to do far above and beyond whatever we could ask or think. He didn't just make a mere provision. He made abundant provision for their need. It speaks to us, friends, of the super abundant provision that Jesus makes for the souls of those who receive mercy and grace in Him. We've seen the condition of the world. We've seen the all-sufficiency of Jesus. And now thirdly and finally, I want to consider with you the role of the church. The role of the church. It's a striking feature of this miracle that Jesus has purposes that go beyond just the miracle itself. In other words, he intends to feed those people. There's reality to just the miracle itself and the intention to feed those people actual food. But he also intends to teach some important lessons to his disciples, doesn't he? In John's account, Jesus initiates the discussion about the need to feed these people. He asks Philip in verse five, where are we to buy bread? so that these people may eat." And then John adds the editorial note, he said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. So you see what I'm saying, that even in the working of this miracle and the meeting of this real need, Jesus has other purposes, doesn't He? He's doing things in the hearts and the lives of His disciples. Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that it's the disciples who come to Jesus and urge Him to send the multitudes away so that they could buy their own food. But Jesus replies, they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. You give them something to eat. Now, How do the disciples respond? How would you respond if 15,000 people were sitting on the hillside in front of you and you had five loaves of bread and two fish and Jesus were to say to you, you feed them? Well, the disciples respond, no way, Lord. No way, it's impossible. Philip does the math. I think he probably did, literally. He computed in his head, okay, there's this many people here, and the average person eats this much, and that would cost this much, and the average wage for a laborer is this much. Lord, that would take eight months of labor, eight months salary, to feed this many people, just a little bit, not even to satisfy them, just to give them some crumbs. It's impossible, Lord. You're asking us to do the impossible. And so Jesus says, well, what do you have? What do you have? How many loaves do we have? And then Jesus proceeds to feed the multitude. And he does so involving his disciples and utilizing what they had. He took what they had, as measly as it was, as meager as it was. He took what they had and he fed to the full the multitude. So many important lessons illustrated here. But this is what I want us to get. Brethren, for reasons that may not make much sense to us, They certainly don't make sense to the world. Paul tells us that it's foolishness. For reasons that may not be entirely obvious to us, it has pleased our Lord Jesus to depart this world 2,000 years ago and to leave his followers, the church, in this world as his witnesses, and as the means through which He will gather in the sheep for whom He died until He comes again. That's the will of Christ. That's the good pleasure of Christ, that He would not be here, but that He would involve His disciples in fulfilling and completing what actually is impossible for us. It's as if Jesus has said to His church, and He's still saying it to us today, look on the multitudes. See with spiritual eyes. And see their spiritual hunger and need with compassion. And you, give them something to eat. It's pleased Christ to entrust the church with this vital role in the application of the salvation that he accomplished in his death and in his resurrection life. And so often, how do we respond? When Jesus says to us, you give them something to eat. With Philip and the disciples, we say, but Lord. But Lord, the needs are too great. The depths of depravity, too deep. The chains, the shackles of sin, they're just too strong, Lord. You mean go there? You mean feed that person? No way, Lord. No way. The efforts required of us are just too difficult, Lord. The expense too high. It's impossible. Impossible. And perhaps we look at the world and it seems impossible, and then we look at ourselves. Maybe that's the bigger issue. We look at ourselves and we say, but Lord, All we have are five barley loaves and two fish. What is that among so many? Our resources, Lord, are few. Our strength is so small. Our time is limited. Lord, what can we do? And Jesus says, have the people sit down and watch me act for you. You see, brethren, Jesus is not limited by our limitations. If anything, our limitations provide the very context in which Jesus is pleased to display His greater power and glory. He's chosen the weak things, the foolish things, right, of this world. He's chosen to place the precious treasure of the Gospel into what? Clay pots. lay vessels. He's chosen the means of preaching, and I would add to that, of sharing the Gospel, right, on the personal level, preaching publicly, yes, and just the message of the Gospel communicated privately to be the power of God unto salvation. And it's foolishness to the world. but it displays His wisdom and His power and His greatness and His glory. You see, brethren, Jesus doesn't require of us what we don't have. He asks us to offer up what we do have in faith, and in confidence that he is more than able to take our contributions as small or as weak as they may be and to multiply them exceedingly. Can you believe that? He did this, he really did it. He can do that with us. He's not dependent on greatness in us. Not that there is any. But he's not dependent on it. He chooses to use us in our weakness. And I think he does that in part for our joy in his service, which is amazing to me, but also again for the display of his strength and mercy and wisdom in the salvation of sinners. Salvation is of the Lord. We can't do what is necessary to open blind eyes and change hard hearts and set captives free. It is in fact impossible with us. But Jesus says to us, his church, look with compassion on the multitudes and you give them something to eat. And brethren, if we don't, no one will. Jesus is pleased to have left us, his people, his followers, as his representatives in this world, his witnesses to his glory, to his saving mercies. And when you really stop and think about it, what do we have? What do we have to give this needy, hungry world? It's nothing less than the bread of life. It's Jesus himself. Jesus will go on in John chapter six to say this, for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life, Jesus said. Whoever comes to me shall never hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. That's what we have. And he is an all-sufficient savior, able to abundantly, super abundantly satisfy every need of our fellow human beings in this world. Several burdens moved me and I believe led me to this text and this emphasis tonight, giving the bread of life to a hungry world. We're considering tonight as a church, a young man, or the Christian ministry, and in connection with that, as you know, sending Him out. Not too far away, but to somewhere else. Somewhere else than here, Medan, in the kingdom of Christ. And with Him, others who believe that God is calling them to go with Him. There's a cost to us in that. Also, one of the most significant ministries God has entrusted to us is the ministry of our dear friends in the Far East. And under God's blessing, that ministry has grown. And the scope of that work has expanded. And the needs in supporting that ministry are very great. And they're beyond us, brethren. They're beyond us. We can't do it. just today, sitting here today in the resources that we have. And then just a sense, and it could be wrong, maybe it's just a perception about my own soul, but a sense that for us as a church, maybe there's a need at this time for us to renew our commitment to gospel endeavor. I've been in the church long enough, really my whole life, to know that the church, we go through seasons, right? We go through peaks, and then we plateau a bit, and then we go through peaks, and we plateau a bit, and we seek to put biblical structures in place to encourage obedience to the scriptures, and we try new things, and we do those things for a while, and just in time, We can grow a bit cold, right? We can kind of go through the motions. We can be so burdened, perhaps, with the busyness of our own lives, real things, important things, and the needs and burdens of our own congregation, and we stop looking out. We stop praying as we should, and we stop witnessing as we should. All these things are on my heart as I come to this emphasis tonight. And so, just encourage us, brethren. I want to encourage us in the view of Christ that we have here in this text. that we would have large views of Him, that we would have a large confidence in His power, in His ability to take us as we are. And He's not looking for what we don't have, but just for us to offer up ourselves to Him as we are and what we have and say, Lord, You're able to take people like us and to multiply beyond our comprehension what you can do, even through the efforts, the believing, trusting efforts of people like us, so that we would renew our efforts, that we would renew our zeal, brethren, for being used of Christ to win the lost around us. It is not this the fast that I choose, says the Lord, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke. Is it not to share Your bread? He's given us the bread of life. with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house. When you see the naked, to cover him and not to hide yourself from your own flesh. Then shall your light break forth like the dawn and your healing shall spring up speedily. Your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard." May God give us His heart for the oppressed. May He give us the compassion of Christ for the lost. May He give us a large faith and hope and confidence in His power and His provision. And may He stir us afresh to share the living bread that we have found by His grace. Amen. Let's pray. Father, it does seem to us that in Your providence, You have woven together the messages of today. to remind us of that place, that role that you have given us in this world as your people, to be your instruments in bringing in all those for whom our Savior died. And so we ask, Lord, that you would give us receptive hearts, that you would give us understanding in how we are to receive these things and apply these things in our lives. Please renew our passion, for your glory and for the souls of our neighbors, those who are perishing. Please renew our love for Christ and for the lost. We pray this in his precious name. Amen.