Can I Trust Jesus with Everything? | John 6:1-21 | Darien Gabriel
Series: Signs & Glory
Title: “Can I Trust Jesus With Everything?”
Scripture: John 6:1-21
Psalm 41:1-4
Bottom line: I can trust God with everything, even when in need, because he provides, he cares, and he is with us.
INTRODUCTION
CONTEXT
SERMON OUTLINE
CONCLUSION
NOTES
OUTLINES
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
MAIN REFERENCES USED
Opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same.
INTRODUCTION
The Tightrope Walker and the Wheelbarrow
In the 19th century, a famous tightrope walker named Charles Blondin became famous for walking across Niagara Falls on a rope.
Niagara Falls has three main waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls.
The entire width of Niagara Falls (including all three sections) is about 3,950 feet (1,204 meters), or roughly ¾ of a mile wide.
It's height ranges from 90 to 181 feet high (9 to 18 stories)
He performed the stunt multiple times, each time adding a new challenge—walking blindfolded, on stilts, even carrying a stove and cooking an omelet in the middle of the rope.
One day, a huge crowd gathered to watch as he planned to push a wheelbarrow across the rope. Before starting, he asked the crowd, “Do you believe I can push this wheelbarrow across the falls?”
The crowd cheered, “Yes! We believe!”
Then Blondin pointed to a man in the front and asked, “Do you trust me enough to get in the wheelbarrow?”
The man froze. Believing from the sidelines was easy. But trusting enough to get in? That was a different question.
Can I trust Jesus with everything?
It’s one thing to say we believe Jesus can provide, protect, and lead us. But do we trust Him enough to truly depend on Him with everything? To put our whole lives in His hands?
That’s the question in John 6:1-21—the disciples and the crowd see Jesus’ miracles, but will they truly trust Him? Will we?
“Can I Trust Jesus With Everything?”
Bottom line: I can trust God with everything, even when in need, because he provides, he cares, and he is with us.
I. Answer: Yes, You Can Trust Jesus With Everything.
Jesus provides abundantly (He cares) (John 6:1-15): Jesus doesn’t just meet immediate needs—He provides more than enough.
Jesus steps into our storms (He is with us) (John 6:16-21): He walks on the water to His disciples, showing He has control over the chaos we face.
Jesus offers eternal life (He is able) (John 6:35): He’s not just here to meet temporary needs; He’s the Bread of Life, offering lasting satisfaction.
II. Why Can I Trust Jesus? (He Cares & Provides because He is Able)
He is the Provider (He cares)
"The problem, of course, was how to meet the needs of such a vast crowd of people. Four solutions were proposed.
First, the disciples suggested that Jesus send the people away..." (No, hungry people faint. Plus almost night.)
Second, buy food. That's a lot of money. Remote place.
Third, get people to share their food. Way too little.
Fourth, trust the Lord to provide. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 309). Victor Books.
In the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus shows He has the power to meet physical needs abundantly, even when resources seem scarce.
Why trust Him? He is the One who provides for our needs, and He does so with more than enough.
He is Present in Our Struggles (He is with us)
Jesus meets His disciples in the middle of their storm, walking on water to reassure them.
Why trust Him? He sees us, is present with us in our difficulties, and has the power to bring peace.
He is the Source of Eternal Life (He is able)
Jesus offers Himself as the Bread of Life, the one who satisfies our deepest spiritual hunger.
Why trust Him? His provision goes beyond the temporary—He offers us eternal life.
III. How Do I Trust Jesus?
Offer What You Have (John 6:9) (Hint: Something & Everything)
Like the boy with the loaves and fish, bring what little you have to Jesus and trust Him to multiply it for His purposes.
"The practical lesson is clear: whenever there is a need, give all that you have to Jesus and let Him do the rest. Begin with what you have, but be sure you give it all to Him." Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 309). Victor Books.
What You Give to God, He Multiplies
Hattie May Wiatt, a six-year-old girl, lived near Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia, USA. The Sunday school was very crowded.
Russell H. Conwell, the minister, told her that one day they would have buildings big enough to allow everyone to attend. She said, ‘I hope you will. It is so crowded I am afraid to go there alone.’ He replied, ‘When we get the money we will construct one large enough to get all the children in.’
Two years later, in 1886, Hattie May died.
After the funeral Hattie’s mother gave the minister a little bag they had found under their daughter’s pillow containing 57 cents in change that she had saved up. Alongside it was a note in her handwriting: ‘To help build bigger so that more children can go to Sunday school.’
The minister changed all the money into pennies and offered each one for sale. He received $250 – and 54 of the cents were given back. The $250 was itself changed into pennies and sold by the newly formed ‘Wiatt Mite Society’. In this way, her 57 cents *kept on multiplying*.
Twenty-six years later, in a talk entitled, ‘The history of the 57 cents’, the minister explained the results of her 57-cent donation: a church with a membership of over 5,600 people, a hospital where tens of thousands of people had been treated, 80,000 young people going through university, 2,000 people going out to preach the gospel – all this happened ‘because Hattie May Wiatt invested her 57 cents’.
The theme of multiplication runs throughout the Bible. What cannot be achieved by addition, God does by multiplication. You reap what you sow, only many times more. What you give to the Lord, he multiplies.
How to trust Him? Give Jesus what you have, even if it seems small, and trust He can do more with it than you can imagine.
If the only thing you have to offer is a broken heart, you offer a broken heart. So in a time of grief, the recognition that this is material for sacrifice has been a very great strength for me. Realizing that nothing I have, nothing I am will be refused on the part of Christ, I simply give it to him as the little boy gave Jesus his five loaves and two fishes — with the same feeling of the disciples when they said, "What is the good of that for such a crowd?"
Naturally in almost anything I offer to Christ, my reaction would be, "What is the good of that?"
The point is, the use he makes of it is none of my business; it is his business, it is his blessing. So this grief, this loss, this suffering, this pain — whatever it is, which at the moment is God's means of testing my faith and bringing me to the recognition of who he is —that is the thing I can offer.
Do you have nothing to give? Then give that. Your nothing plus God is everything. We need to believe that God is big enough, that he wants to help us. Then we must give our problem to him. May we set aside our pride and give it all to him."
Recognize His Presence in the Storm (John 6:19-20) (He is with you; Immanuel, God with us)
Did Jesus know that a storm was coming? Of course. Then why did He deliberately send His friends into danger? Quite the opposite is true: He was rescuing them from greater danger, the danger of being swept along by a fanatical crowd. But there was another reason for that storm: the Lord has to balance our lives; otherwise we will become proud and then fall. The disciples had experienced great joy in being part of a thrilling miracle. Now they had to face a storm and learn to trust the Lord more. The feeding of the 5,000 was the lesson, but the storm was the examination after the lesson.
Sometimes we are caught in a storm because we have disobeyed the Lord. Jonah is a good example. But sometimes the storm comes because we have obeyed the Lord. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 310). Victor Books.
When life feels overwhelming, turn to Jesus. When the disciples invite Him into the boat, the storm calms.
How to trust Him? In the midst of your struggles, look for Jesus and invite Him into your situation. Trust that He will bring peace.
Conclusion:
Bottom line: I can trust God with everything, even when in need, because he provides, he cares, and he is with us.
Can I trust God with some things?
I often use a stool to represent trusting God with everything. This is represented by me sitting on the stool with my full weight believing it will hold me up and not collapse in front of everyone with me on it.
I sometimes trust God with travel. *puts car keys on the stool*
I sometimes trust God with my health. *puts medicine/pills on the stool*
I sometimes trust God with my marriage. *puts wedding ring on the stool*
I sometimes trust God with my finances. *puts wallet on the stool*
I sometimes trust God with my education. *puts class ring on the stool*
But until I sit on the stool, my faith is only temporary and not saving faith because I'm not putting the full weight of my life on the stool. I'm not fully relying on God to carry me through life no matter what I'm going through.
Can you trust Jesus with everything? Yes. Jesus is fully trustworthy because He provides abundantly, steps into your struggles, and offers eternal life. To trust Him, offer what you have, recognize His presence in your struggles, and receive His words of life.
What about you?
Has God warned you?
Do you hear his warning?
Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:
““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” Acts 2:36-39 NIV
Invitation
How do we respond? Answer 2 questions:
Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions:
What is God saying to me right now?
What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper.
What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.
[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.
Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don’t have to get too specific to give him praise.
Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.
Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)
Pray
NOTES
"Regard the weak"
Psalm 41:1-4 shows us how God blesses those who "regard the weak" by blessing them. God blesses those who do this. David also gives us a one verse prayer asking God to forgive us for not regarding the weak as we should.
"I am, I am"
“In all of these sayings, Jesus prefaced descriptions of His office by a strange combination of Greek words, ego eimi. The word ego in Greek means “I am.” We get the word ego from it. But the word eimi also means “I am.” If you put them together, ego eimi literally means “I am, I am,” as if one were stuttering”
“In order to understand what Jesus was doing, we need to look at the Greek translation of the Old Testament, where we see that the ineffable name of God, Yahweh, was translated into the Greek language by this same strange construction, ego eimi, which can be translated “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). Therefore, almost every commentator recognizes that when Jesus said, “I am the door,” “I am the bread of life,” and other “I am” sayings, He was using the divine name for Himself.”
“However, when scholars enumerate the “I am” sayings in the Gospel of John, they don’t include Jesus’ statement here: “It is I; do not be afraid.” I’m not sure why, because it’s exactly the same structure, ego eimi. Jesus said to His disciples, “Don’t be afraid. It is I AM WHO I AM.”
Excerpts From John - An Expositional Commentary, R.C. Sproul
Christ carries his people
“There’s an illustration here. I don’t want to be maudlin, but this is the way our lives are. This story is not a parable; it is a historical narrative. However, it certainly illustrates what happens when Jesus comes into our lives.
Life is a time of pulling against the oars, against resistance, trying to get somewhere. However, we’re not getting anywhere and we’re about to be engulfed. But as soon as Jesus gets in the boat, we’re home free. That’s what happens when Christ comes into the lives of His people. He doesn’t take away all difficulties and make our lives beds of ease, but He gets us through the darkness. He gets us through the violence. He carries us through the storm.”
R.C. Sproul
"Gave thanks"
It is significant that twice John mentioned the fact that Jesus gave thanks (John 6:11, 23). Matthew, Mark, and Luke all state that Jesus looked up to heaven when He gave thanks. By that act, He reminded the hungry people that God is the source of all good and needful gifts. This is a good lesson for us: instead of complaining about what we do not have, we should give thanks to God for what we do have, and He will make it go farther
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 310). Victor Books.
OUTLINES
See above.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What do I want them to know?
Why do I want them to know it?
What do I want them to do?
Why do I want them to do it?
How do they do this?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/
Read the passage together.
Retell the story in your own words.
Discovery the story
What does this story tell me about God?
What does this story tell me about people?
If this is really true, what should I do?
What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)
What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)
Who am I going to tell about this?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Alternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:
Who is God?
What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?
Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)
What do I do? (In light of who I am)
How do I do it?
Final Questions (Write this down)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent Hughes
Exalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh Wredberg
The Gospels & Epistles of John, FF Bruce
John, RC Sproul
John, Köstenberger
The Gospel According to John, DA Carson
The Light Has Come, Leslie Newbigin
The Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner
“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/
Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org
The Bible Project https://bibleproject.com
Nicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersion
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