Wilderness Church

What happens when Jesus says something we don't want to hear? In this message, we finish John chapter 6, where many disciples walk away from Jesus because His teaching is too difficult to accept. But Peter responds with a powerful confession: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

We explore the difference between struggling with difficult questions and refusing to follow Jesus, the danger of being interested in Christianity without genuinely believing, and the hope of returning to Christ after walking away. We don't follow Jesus because we have every answer. We follow Him because He is the Holy One of God, and He alone offers eternal life.

What happens when the words of Jesus don't line up with what we want to believe? In Part 11 of our Gospel of John series, we see Jesus demonstrate His authority over creation by walking on water before declaring Himself the Bread of Life. As we explore His challenging teachings about God's sovereignty, salvation, and eternal life, we're reminded that our responsibility isn't to make Scripture fit our beliefs, but to allow Scripture to shape what we believe. Even when we don't fully understand His words, Jesus has given us every reason to trust Him.

So That You May Believe — Part 10

John 6:1–15 | Jesus Feeds the 5,000

What can Jesus do with what little we have to offer? In John 6:1–15, Jesus takes five barley loaves and two fish and miraculously feeds thousands, revealing His supernatural power and provision. This familiar story reminds us that our limitations don't limit Jesus. We're called to faithfully use the gifts, abilities, and resources He's given us and trust Him with the outcome.

The big idea: Do what you can do, and trust Jesus to do what only He can do.

This week, we're taking a break from our study through the Gospel of John to hear three powerful testimonies from men in our church following last weekend's Wilderness Man Camp.

Casey Parker shares about seeking the Lord, Shane Gunby speaks on trusting the Lord, and Parker Black shares about honoring the Lord.

Each of these men has a powerful testimony of God's faithfulness in his life. We're incredibly thankful to have them as part of our Wilderness family, and we pray their stories encourage you and remind you of the goodness of God.

In John 5:19–47, Jesus makes an extraordinary defense of His identity and authority, declaring His equality with the Father, His power to give eternal life, and His authority to judge the world. He then presents multiple witnesses that testify to who He is, challenging the religious leaders who refuse to believe despite the evidence before them. This message explores the dangers of taking Scripture out of context, the difference between knowing about Jesus and truly believing in Him, and the reality of eternal life and final judgment. Ultimately, the evidence demands a response: **Jesus is who He says He is, and God commands us to repent and believe.**

In John 5:1-18, Jesus heals a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years—but the miracle quickly becomes a controversy when it happens on the Sabbath. As Jesus challenges assumptions about healing, religious tradition, and rest, the story ultimately turns to the question at the heart of John’s Gospel: Who is Jesus? When Jesus calls God His Father and makes Himself equal with God, the evidence in John’s case continues to build—and each of us must decide what we believe about Him.

In John 4:43–54, Travis walks through the story of a desperate father who comes to Jesus asking Him to heal his dying son. The father has a plan for how Jesus needs to work, but Jesus responds differently than he expects—simply telling him, “Go, your son will live.” With no visible proof that anything has changed, the man believes Jesus’ word and begins the journey home. Through this story, we’re reminded that faith doesn’t always mean seeing what God is doing or understanding His plan. Sometimes faith is simply taking the next step because Jesus has spoken. We can trust the word of Jesus before we see the work of Jesus.

In John 4, Travis walks through Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well—a woman others may have easily overlooked or written off. Jesus crosses cultural, religious, and personal barriers to meet her exactly where she is, offering the “living water” that leads to eternal life. Through their conversation, we see that Jesus knows the whole story—the questions, the past, and the mess—and still moves toward people with both grace and truth. This message challenges us to stop deciding who is too far gone and remember that we never know what Jesus might do with someone’s story.

As Jesus’ ministry grows, John the Baptist’s disciples become concerned that people are leaving them to follow Jesus. But John sees it differently. Everything he has was given by God, his role was always to point people to Christ, and his joy is complete when Jesus receives the attention. In Part 5 of So That You May Believe, Travis Wright walks through John’s powerful declaration, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” and asks a challenging question: Do I want Jesus to increase if His increase requires me to decrease?

John’s example reminds us that following Jesus isn’t about believing we don’t matter—it’s about becoming increasingly convinced that Jesus matters more.

In John 3, Paul walks through Jesus’ late-night conversation with Nicodemus and reminds us why context matters when reading some of Scripture’s most familiar verses. Jesus shows Nicodemus that knowing the law and being religious isn’t enough. We must be born again by the Spirit and look to the Son who would be lifted up for our salvation. John 3:16 becomes even more powerful when we see the story surrounding it: God loved a world that was alienated from Him and sent His Son not to condemn it, but to save it. The question John continues to place before us is simple: Will you believe?