Leave It All In Jesus' Hands

LEAVE IT ALL IN JESUS HANDS

JOHN 6: 1-15 JULY 28, 2002

JOHN 6:1-15

1Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7Philip answered him; "Eight months’ wagesA would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

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Dearest Redeemed and Saints in the Lord:

We have heard that song ?He?s got the Whole World In His Hands?, and that?s what our text reminds us of this morning. The Lord keeps the whole world in His hands to provide for the needs of His believers and everyone else because He knows the needs of His believers and everyone else. We talk about the right hand of God and we immediately think of the fact that this refers to God?s power. It also refers to His care for God?s creation, something that the Old Testament people knew and talked about. In the Psalms we read: "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing"(PSALM 145:15,16). And so, with that idea of God?s hand opening and satisfying the desires of every living thing, we use that as our theme as we look at these familiar words before us this morning.

Leave it all in Jesus Hands

I. Jesus knows all our needs

II. Jesus provides His solution

Now we?re told that Jesus is going to once again take His disciples and try to be off by themselves a little bit, but that?s not to be the case because the popularity of Jesus was increasing. Sometime after this Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, that is, the Sea of Tiberias and a great crowd of people followed Him because they had seen the miraculous signs He had performed on the sick. So again, they?re back on the boat, they are on the Sea of Galilee going to a remote place. The crowd follows them because they had seen what Jesus had done for the sick. He had healed the blind and the lame and those who were infirm. They didn?t want to lose this miracle worker. They wanted to stay close to Jesus because He was able to help them. He healed the sick because that?s what they needed at that time.

We?re given a little bit about the setting. When Jesus went up on the hillside and sat down with His disciples, the Jewish Passover feast was near. So we know it was in the spring. They sat on the hillside where there was plenty of grass, so the disciples and Jesus would be comfortable. Jesus is going to teach His disciples very quickly about trust in God.

But when Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Phillip, ?Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?? Phillip is the first disciple to be put to the test?our text explains that. He was wondering if Phillip was going to trust in himself, if Phillip was going to wonder himself what to do next, or if Phillip would understand, like the crowd, that Jesus was able to do all things. He was able to heal the sick, he was able to provide for these people. And in the next verse it tells us that ?Jesus only asked this to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.? And Phillip?s answer: ?Eight months? wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!? Phillip looked at the crowd and realized that there were too many people. There certainly was not enough money?eight months wages was quite a sum of money and it would not be enough. They needed more money in order to buy more food for more of the people that were coming. And then another disciple comes, but he too, looks at the situation, sizes it up and says, ?It?s futile.? Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter?s brother spoke up. ?Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?? So, at least he had found some food, but only five loaves of bread, two small fish, and he says it?s just not enough.