Jesus, Our Provider

This is Christ the King Sermons. Christ the King Sermons is a ministry of Christ the King Presbyterian Church located in Raleigh, North Carolina. CTK is a community rooted in the depth of the gospel, refined by hard conversations, fueled by meaningful relationships, and committed to redemptive work in Raleigh.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Jim Hahn, and as it was said, I'm the RUF campus minister associate at the University of North Carolina. I hope most of the people in this room won't hold that against me as I preach this morning, but I want to say it's a pleasure to be with you guys this morning. You're a church that has supported RUF at so many campuses for so many years, and it's a pleasure to come and to preach in a church that really gets RUF.

For those of you who don't know what RUF is, we're a campus ministry with a goal in heart to reach and equip students with the gospel. And really our heart and dream is not just to grow as a campus ministry. It's not just to make our large groups the biggest thing on campus. My heart and my goal, my mission is to make sure students fall in love with Jesus. And on top of that, for them to be a consistent part of the church for years to come.

So friends, when you pray for RUF, when you support it, when you get behind campus ministers, you're getting behind a mission where we want to grow the family of God. So thank you for letting me come this morning and to share about that.

And in light of that, I really want to come to the gospel of John with you guys and really look at our savior together, the son of God who gave his own life so that we could be forgiven and deeply known. And so this morning, we're going to be in John chapter six reading verses one through 15 together. And as you flip over there, let me prep this sermon by simply saying, what do you need this morning? What need do you have in your heart? Where do you need Jesus to show up? Whatever immediately comes to your mind when I say that, I would encourage you to invite Jesus into that space right now and really allow him to be your provision.

So without further ado, let's go to John chapter six. Let's read verses one through 15 together.

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 towards 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 worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, there is 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. And 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 has come into the world. Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king. Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. — John 6:1-15

Well, this is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we come before you as a church who desires to know you. I pray this morning that whatever was on our hearts about what we need, you'd meet us in that place this morning. Heavenly Father, use my words to increase your glory. Holy Spirit, speak clearly through me. Jesus, help me to honor you and glorify you now in your name. Amen.

Well, in this passage, we see Jesus do something miraculous. He takes what is just a small appetizer and turns it into a ginormous feast for people who need it the most. And no doubt, you've probably heard about this miracle before if you grew up in the church. You're probably told before that this shows Jesus' divinity as the son of God, or it shows his physical power over this earth. And while both of those things are true, I don't want you all to miss what else this passage shows you. What it reveals about Jesus' character, how Jesus is your compassionate provider, that he's a good shepherd who provides for his sheep.

Friends, Jesus is not just your king. He's not just your lord. He's also a loving savior who lays down his life for you.

So friends, I want to invite you to look at three ways this passage promotes Jesus' identity as our provider. Firstly, we're going to see that Jesus listens to our needs. Secondly, that he actually meets us in our hunger. And then thirdly, that he provides abundantly for us. So let's begin with that first truth: as our provider, Jesus listens to our needs.

Right from the get-go, we see how Jesus meets a group of hungry people. We're told this massive crowd in verse one had been following Jesus across the country, that they even traveled across the Sea of Galilee to be with him. And though we're not told exactly how long they've been journeying with Jesus, John seems to be implying here this was a multiple day thing—that they left their family, their jobs, their homes behind to follow after Christ.

And in verse two, we're given the reason why. It tells us in the text that they had seen the signs that Jesus was healing the sick. — John 6:2

I believe in a lot of ways that means this group would have been people with their own illnesses, people with their own brokenness, people with physical ailments that they couldn't find hope anywhere else to fix. This is before there were any type of ready medicine, hospitals, or health care. So in a world where you got terminally sick, the world saw you as a lost cause. And so Jesus was their last hope at life. In every single way, this would have been the most needy category of people, and Jesus invites them in.

Now in verse three, we're told after he spends time with them, Jesus actually leaves the crowd and goes on to the mountainside. — John 6:3

It's clear that he needs a moment of rest, which is really cool. And just a side note: Jesus is the divine Son of God, but this passage also shows us that he's fully human as well. Meaning his physical body would have needed rest. He would have been exhausted after spending multiple days with others. And I think if anyone deserved a moment of rest, it would have been Jesus in this moment.

Yet verse five tells us this is a very short-lived rest. As the large crowd of people came to him once again with all their need. — John 6:5

Now let me say Jesus could have refused them. He could have said, "Okay, can you give me just at least twenty-four hours to sit down? Can you let me sleep for just an hour?" I know if I was Jesus here, I probably would have been sinfully tempted to be frustrated, to be annoyed almost at their aggressive neediness. But you see, Jesus is always present. Jesus is willing to embrace them even when he's physically exhausted. His heart is for them always.

In fact, when we read the Gospel of Matthew and we look at the same exact account, Matthew says that Jesus had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. I know it's hard for us sometimes in our modern culture to really understand what it means for Jesus to provide for us like a shepherd. But in his day, this would have been a really clear metaphor. You see, a shepherd's job was to seek and protect his flock, to give them food, water, shelter, and safety. He would have known each sheep by name. He would have known their personalities, their quirks, and it was up to him to make sure no sheep got into danger, that all sheep were provided for.

In the same way, friends, Jesus knows you. He knows your brokenness. He knows our weakness. He knows exactly what we need as people even when we don't realize it. And so he is present seeking after us, wanting to help us, to bring us forward.

I know as humans, it almost feels like we have this never-ending list of needs. Right? It almost feels like our wants and our desires get updated every day. And maybe you've told yourself that your needs, your wants are a burden to Jesus. Or maybe people in your life, when you've shared hard things about what you're struggling with or you've been honest about your grief, maybe those people have told you that you're overburdening them or that you're too much for others and you have to hold back. I have to hide what I'm actually feeling so people will invite me in.

And sadly, maybe you've brought that same lie into your relationship with Jesus. Maybe you've been told so much that you have to repress how you feel that you're starting to think, "Jesus doesn't really need to hear how much I'm hurting." Maybe you even told yourself, "Are my requests frustrating him? Am I dishonoring him for asking for something over and over again? Am I doubting his power by continuing to ask for this need?"

Friends, when we believe lies like that, it's really easy to grow to a place where we think God doesn't care about us as individuals. Sure, we might come to Sunday service and say, "Jesus died for me," but we might have this doubt in our mind. Does he really care about what I daily go through? Does he care about my relational needs? Does he care about how broken my family feels? Does he care about how lonely and insecure I feel? Does he care about the pressures I face as a parent or a spouse or a student?

Does he care about how uncertain I feel about the future? Friends, I hope you will see in this passage clearly that Jesus cares deeply about your needs. He takes time to listen. Friends, if you believe him this morning, you are not a burden. You're not a stranger to Jesus. You're not a chore that he just tolerates. If you believe in him, you are his child, and he delights in hearing from you.

In fact, when we go to the Psalms, we find:

The Lord is near to all who call upon him. — Psalm 145

And:

Cast your anxieties on God because he cares for you. — 1 Peter 5

Even though you and me, we might get sinfully frustrated when people are really needy or overbearing, Jesus is always present. He's not only willing to listen, he delights in hearing from you. Jesus laid down his life for you, friends, because you are his most beloved part of his creation. I hope you'll believe that and trust in that.

And so in response, as a church, I challenge you to commit yourself to prayer. Don't be afraid to tell Jesus, your provider, exactly what you need. And don't let the enemy try to shame you into thinking you have to have it all figured out in order to ask him for something. It's a lie to tell yourself that my sin disqualifies me from coming to my savior. No. Jesus invites you in as you are this morning. He has new mercies for you every single day. He says, come as you are—as a broken man or woman—and receive my grace. I want to provide for you. I want to sustain you.

Now on the flip side, friends, we also need to be careful we don't move the other way, where we think we're too righteous or too independent not to need Jesus' provision. Sometimes we can fall into this trap of thinking, well, the longer I've been a Christian or the longer I've been following Christ, the more independent I should feel or the less like I should feel like I need what Jesus did for me on the cross. But as so many more mentors have told me throughout my life, and I've seen in so many great sermons, actually it's the opposite.

The more you grow in your faith, the more you learn to trust Jesus, the more you realize just how desperate we need his grace, just how broken we truly are, and how we are in desperate need of what Christ has done for us. So friends, again, come to him where you are. He will listen. He will listen to what you need.

Jesus Meets Us in Our Hunger

Thankfully, though, Jesus is not just a good listener. He's also the Son of God who can do something with the things we bring to him. Notice how Jesus embraces this crowd, but also notice how he meets his disciples where they were at. Notice with me in verse five, he comes to the disciple Philip, and he asks him a pretty surprising question. He says, "Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?"

Now you can probably imagine Philip's response. Jesus is asking me to solve this problem? Jesus wants me to take care of this impossible task of feeding all of these people. When I gave the same sermon in my large group, I told my students, this would have been like if right before one of your big science classes, your physics professor walked up to you and said, "How are we gonna teach everyone quantum physics this year in one hour?" Or if you're at a tailgate—a UNC tailgate—and Bill Belichick walked up to you and said, "How are we going to win today with a second string quarterback?"

I'll make it a little more personal. If in your context, your church, you were dropping off your kids at the nursery and your head pastor walked up and said, "I'm so excited to see what you're gonna teach on this morning"—before you were two cups of coffee into your day, you would be like Philip here. You'd be shocked by the question, and you would probably be overcome with this feeling of, I can't do this. I'm not ready. I'm not prepared.

I had a similar experience like this when I was in high school. I was on the track team and my head coach poorly planned our team dinner. And so he came up to me—who at the time was just a shy sophomore—and asked me, "How are we going to feed everybody?" He even suggested that I should help grill burgers. When guys, at that point, I could barely make cereal without burning the bowl. And so we had to cater Taco Bell. We had to have stale chips and greasy queso instead of a meal that nourished us, instead of having a meal that made us feel loved and cared for.

Friends, I want you to see that this is not the case with Jesus. He didn't plan poorly here. He wasn't trying to shift all the blame or responsibility on someone else. No. He had a purpose, and he was actually using it to grow his disciples' faith. In verse six, we're actually told that Jesus said this to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was gonna do. You see, Jesus wanted to see where Philip will put his faith.

He wanted to see how would Philip respond in a great time of need. Would he seek Jesus' help, or would the weight of this situation move him to despair and apathy? And sadly, for a little bit, Philip is in despair. He says to Jesus, 200 denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little bit.

Now scholars estimate that amount, 200 denarii, would have been around seventh month wages in their day. Or if you want to translate that immediately into our currency, that would have been around $13,000. And for Philip, that cost was not enough to even feed people. He just said that's not enough for even everyone to just get a little bit. Basically, he's saying we'd have to drop 13k for everyone to get crumbs, to get a bag of Goldfish, a kid-sized one at that.

And so in this response, Philip is so focusing on how big the need is that he's ignoring the one who could help him. And I know it's so easy for us to give Philip a hard time. He was the disciple. He followed Jesus for years. He saw so many other miracles. What is he doing here? But friends, let me ask you. How often do we let our circumstances blind us from the one who can help us? How often do we allow the stresses of our work, our family, our expectations keep us from our greatest help? How quick are we to trade the peace of trusting in Jesus with the lie that says "I can do this on my own"? A lie that sends us into a never-ending cycle of anxiety, frustration, and burnout.

It's so easy to focus on our immediate goals that we let our prayer life suffer. And so, friends, it's in those moments where you feel helpless. It's in those moments where your schedule is pushing you to the max, where you're meant to lean on Jesus the most. Allow him when you feel like you've failed. Allow him to remind you that your identity is being his child. Allow him to remind you that your purpose, your actual worth is being loved by him. And when you feel overwhelmed with what tomorrow brings, come and lay yourself at his feet. Let him meet you in that place. Let him carry you forward.

Scripture is clear that Jesus will use even our weaknesses, even our failures for his kingdom. Notice how he does this with Andrew in verse nine. He says—or Andrew says to Jesus—"There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?"

You know, Andrew is a lot like me. He wants to solve things practically, and so he goes into the crowd and he searches to find any form of food to feed everybody. And in his best effort, all he can accomplish is finding a small child who has the equivalent of a McDonald's Happy Meal. And so I have to imagine he felt like a failure in this moment. He even says in almost a negative way, "What is this for so many?" I think Andrew's really saying here, "What good am I in accomplishing this task? How can my feeble attempts ever be enough to meet this great need?"

Andrew felt limited in this moment, and so he needed to lean on Jesus to use his weakness. Friends, in the same way, when you're confronted with your limitations, come to Christ. Scripture is clear that God will even use our most feeble attempts to do good things to further his kingdom. So trust in the work that he's doing in you.

On the days you feel like you are failing at being a parent, where you didn't encourage your kids well, know that the Holy Spirit is still present, that God has a plan for your family and for you. When you feel like you're failing to love your spouse, you're failing to love your siblings well, know that God is present in broken relationships, and he will mature you and grow you by his spirit. Know on the days you feel like your conversation ran dry with that coworker who doesn't care about the gospel, know that God is still present. Know that the Lord is working on that person's heart even if you feel like you're not enough to help them.

Friends, that is why in 2 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us:

Grace is sufficient for you, for God's power is made perfect in weakness. — 2 Corinthians 12

That's why Paul goes on to say that when I am weak, then I am strong. Friends, know our weaknesses, our limitations do not hold Jesus back. He's able to work through our brokenness despite us to do great things.

Jesus Provides Abundantly

So know Jesus is your provider who listens. Know he's one who meets you right in your need, but also know this: that his provision is more than we could ask or imagine, which leads us to our third point for this morning—that Jesus provides abundantly for us.

Notice the outcome of this miracle again. Jesus takes this small plate of loaves and fish, and he makes it into a meal that satisfies everybody. In fact, verse 12 tells us that everyone ate to their fill and had as much as they wanted, which is a wild statement because that means 5,000 men who were starving from journeying multiple days to see Jesus, they were able to eat enough to be satisfied. And that number doesn't really take into account any women or children who might have been there.

When we look at the original Greek, it just says around 5,000 men. But if that doesn't include women and children, that number could have been double or triple this amount. And yet Jesus provides enough for them all to be satisfied.

And you know what's really crazy? His provision doesn't stop there. In verse 13, he actually sends his disciples into the crowd to find any leftovers. And we're told they find enough to fill 12 large baskets full of food. One for each of them. I believe that was a clear sign Jesus was sending them to say, "I'm gonna provide for you." It was a message to Philip and Andrew that even when you feel exposed in your limit, I'm gonna be there for you. I'm gonna carry you forward. When you're not enough, I always am.

I think Jesus' surprising way of providing for his disciples here is a lot like how my mom would always give me and my siblings so much food growing up. She especially loved to make this huge batch of chocolate chip cookies that were so delicious. And I know everyone says this, but I'm gonna fight for this. My mom is the best at making chocolate chip cookies. Her recipe is the best. So if you wanna argue about that, I'll meet you outside after and we can talk.

But my mom loved to give us more than we could ever ask for. And one time, especially, she surprised me and my friends in a really unique way. When I was an undergrad at UGA, me and my friends drove all the way from the state of Georgia to California for a college football playoff game. And on our way, we opened up our glove compartment. I found that my mom had stashed a massive box of cookies in there. And this was such a sweet reminder that my mom was always thinking about us, that she was always gonna give us what we need, that she cared about making us feel nourished and provided for.

I have to imagine Jesus' disciples felt that kind of love in this moment. In fact, I felt like they had to have experienced that love to an even greater extent here. I think they would have known in this moment that Jesus was gonna provide for them despite their doubts, that Jesus was gonna love them even when they questioned it.

And so, friends, I hope if you don't hear anything else today, I hope you know that God's love for you, his provision for you is not dependent on your worthiness of it. His love is not limited by the measure of your faith. No. He's a provider motivated by his love for you first. He used this miracle as a way of saying to us this morning, "I know what you need. I know what is heavy on your heart. I know what is bringing you anxiety about the week ahead. Come and rest in me. Know I am here, that I am listening, that I will feed you, that I'll provide for you."

So friends, in conclusion this morning, I hope you'll trust your provider. I hope that whatever is facing you this week ahead, whatever obstacles you are facing, that you will not rely on your own strength, but you'll start with the Lord's help, that you'll ask him into your life, and you'll see how he answers your need.

So friends, let's go and pray now to our provider together. Join me in prayer.

Jesus, again, we thank you for your love. We thank you that it is more than we could ask or imagine. And so I just ask this morning that you would listen to our needs. I pray you give us confidence to approach your throne and to speak honestly. And I pray, Holy Spirit, that you'd show us that you are listening, that you are working, that you will be with us.

So strengthen this church this morning. Strengthen my friends here. Help them know that you have a plan, that you are working, and that you started a good work in us. You will bring it to completion. So help us to trust that now in your son's name. Amen.