All right, let's take our Bibles
now and turn with me to the book of Mark, chapter 4. Mark, chapter 4. I'd like to deal with verses
35 through 41. And I've entitled this message,
Every Believer's Journey. Every believer's journey to the
end. Now, the Lord has been teaching
the multitudes. There have been a lot of people
hearing His instruction. Now, at the end of the day, this
is what the Scripture says. Let's just read this passage.
Mark 4, 35 to 41. When the even was come, he saith
unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. When they'd sent
away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. There were also with him other
little ships. And there arose a great storm
of wind, and the waves beat into the ship. so that it was now
full. And he was in the hinder part
of the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake him, saying to
him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose
and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.
And the wind ceased. There was a great calm. He said
unto them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?
They feared exceedingly and said one to another, what manner of
man is this? But even the wind and the sea
obey him. The Lord, having taught, having
taught that day, he now tells his disciples to get into the
boat and they're gonna go to the other side. Now I'll tell
you where they're going. They're gonna go to the land
of Gadara. There was one of the Lord's own
over there. There was a demoniac over there. That's what chapter
5 is all about. And so he was gonna go and get
that one that he'd everlastingly loved, one that needed to be
delivered from the clutches of Satan. But before they got to
the other side, a strong storm came up. And the disciples now
find themselves in a situation that they think might possibly
be the end. Master, do you not care that
we perish? Now these events of this scripture
might seem at first to be unique only to this night. But actually,
as I said a moment ago, these events set forth every believer's
journey through this life to the other side. Now I'm telling
you, this is every believer's life. The scripture declares, verse
35, in the same day when the even was come, he saith unto
them, let us pass over unto the other side. Now let me tell you
the first truth. And this is every believer's
life. The first truth we're taught
in this verse is that the Lord promises His continual and uninterrupted
presence with His people. Now, we would always do well
to listen to every word that He says. Every word that the
Spirit of God places in this book has significance. I want you to notice that He
did not say, you go to the other side and I'll meet you there.
Now just remember, let's not lose track, this is the life
of every believer. This is the life, this is the
walk, this is the course, this is the fight. This is the race. He does not say to His people,
you do the best you can, I'll meet you at the end. I'll be
waiting for you at the end. The scripture says, the same
day when the evening come, He saith unto them. Who is He talking
to? He's talking to His disciples.
He saith unto them, He saith to every one of His elect, every
one that He's called out of darkness and they realize it's the Lord. He says unto them,
I need for God to say this to me again right now. I need for
the Lord to say to me, Marvin, let us pass over to the other
side. The Scripture declares that Almighty
God never leaves His own. He said, I will never leave you. I need to be reminded of that.
I need to be taught that again. I will never leave you. I will
never forsake you. Doesn't that cause your heart
to cry out, Lord, will you remind me of that? Will you remind me
of your promise and your presence? If I'm convinced that the Lord
is with me, I'm okay. I'm okay. That word of his constant
presence is needed by the believer. He said in Isaiah 43 too, when
thou passeth through the waters, I'll be with thee. Through the
rivers, they shall not overflow thee. He's talking about trials,
tribulations. When thou walkest through the
fire, like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, you're not gonna be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee. I will be with you. I'm reminded
immediately of His presence right now. Let me ask you this, do
you really believe that He's here? Where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. He said
unto them, let us go over. Where two or three are gathered
together, I cannot impress upon myself or upon you upon us the
importance and the weight that the Lord places on public worship. Is it important? It's everything. But not only are we taught in
this verse His assured presence, and every believer needs to hear
that. Next we're taught the surety
of God's people enduring to the end. I, I, listen to what he
said, verse 35. Same day, the evening was come,
he saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. Now
let me ask you this, what did he just say? We're going to the
other side. We're going, not maybe, not I
hope, not if you can hang on. Is there any doubt That one that
has been chosen by the Father. Don't you love election? I love
election. I love election. That means that
there's a remnant according to the election of grace. We make
too much of election. How do you make too much of election?
If there wasn't election, there'd be no sheep. If God hadn't chosen,
there'd be no elect. There'd be no hope. Is there
any doubt that one chosen of the Father, redeemed by the Son,
He said, I lay down my life for the sheep, those regenerated by the Holy
Spirit. Is there any doubt that they're
going to make it to the other side? This life is a vapor. This life's a vapor. What does
that mean? go out on a good cold morning
and just take a big old deep breath and just huff out and
tell me how long did it take that breath, that vapor to evaporate
and be gone. About a week or so ago, my brother
brought his wife over to a hospital having some stomach problems. Next thing he knows, the doctor
walks out and said, I'm sorry. Your wife's gone. He's waiting
for her to come out. He's waiting on her. I'm sorry. Your wife's gone. Just like that. This life is a vapor. And here's the thing. We don't
know how close we are to the other side. You young people sitting here,
you think, you know, well, I've got, you know, I've got this
nice long life ahead of me. I'm going to do that. You don't
know that. You have no idea. Your next breath,
you'll be standing before God or lifting up your eyes out of
hell. This life is almost gone compared
to eternity. I looked around and I realized
I was looking at something that I had painted a few years ago,
two or three years ago, and looked at the date. And it was twelve. Twelve years
ago, I thought. How can that be? Listen to the
words of our Lord, John chapter 6, John 6. Here's the surety. of making
it to the other side. John chapter 6 verse 39 and 40. This is the Father's will which
has sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose
nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day. This is the will of Him that
sent me. Everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on Him
may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the last
day. I think about that verse. This
is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which he
hath given me, I should lose nothing. Can you imagine? Even
the thought, which you know is impossible, but the thought of
the Lord Jesus Christ said, Father, I'm so sorry. The one that you
gave me, I couldn't keep. I just couldn't make him willing
in the day of my power. I couldn't. I just couldn't. go over to the other side. He said, my sheep hear my voice,
I know them, they follow me, I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. Next. Let's look at how Though men
may doubt the surety or preservation of the saints, they may look
at their own impotent inability and think that they can remain
faithful. But the only comfort that a believer
has passing over to the other side is this, that the Lord preserves
his own. Look at verse 36 and 37. And when they had sent away the
multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship, and there
were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great
storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship so that it
was now full." Now we're going to learn this too on our journey. None of us are exempt from the
storms of the trials of this life. None of us. Now the multitudes, the scripture
says, has been sent away. The Lord sent them away. He separated
Himself. He instructed many that day,
but there was now a remnant. A remnant according to election
that He was going to teach something. They're going to get in the boat.
They're going to go to the other side. That's what He said. And
those of His choosing, the Scripture says, they took Him as He was. That's what verse 36 says. When
sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was. Every believer does that. They
take Him, the Scripture says, as He's revealed in this book.
They don't say, well, the way I see it. Well, the way I've
always been taught They took him as he was into the ship,
associated themselves with him. And God's people do also today. Every believer takes him as he
is. Now let me ask you this. Did
he say, I am the potter? I told you when I was in art
school, I never was good at doing pottery. But I'd watch some of
these guys and gals, and they could take a lump of clay, and
it was just amazing how they could take their thumbs, and
they'd take their little fingers, these fingers like that, and
they'd form it. And they made the most beautiful. I said, how
did you do that? That was marvelous. He said,
I am the potter. And he said, you're the clay.
Can the potter do what he will with his own? Yes, he can. He
can make one vessel under honor, and he can make another one under
dishonor. He can make one, raise him up in Christ, and leave another
one to himself. And justly, justly, draw him
unto himself, or justly cast him out. They took him as he
was. And when he said, let us pass
over to the other side, there was no debate, there was no question,
there was no argument. He had sent the multitudes away.
And he said, let's get in the ship.
And they got in the ship, hearkening to his word. By the grace of
God, When he sent those multitudes away, they got in the ship with him. Hearkening to the command of
the master. And they left all. What if there
was some of their family? What if their mom and daddy was
in there? Their brothers, their jobs, other
cares of this world that would hinder them. What about that?
They got in the boat. They got into the ship, even
if within that multitude they sent away. If there were some
that the Lord bid them to separate themselves from them, they followed
Him at all cost. He never leaves them to themselves. He draws them. And there were other little ships,
the Scripture says, with Him. You know, strangely, there's
no mention after this, right here, of these other ships. I
read that and I came back and I looked and tried to see what
had happened to the other little ships that were with him, but one thought came to my mind. Many appear to start the race
and run the course and enter the fight, but they never made
it to the other side. They may have been wayside here,
or stony ground here, or stony ground here. They started well,
but they failed to continue. Those that endure to the end
are going to be saved. Those that God endures to the
end are going to be saved. The only security was being in
the ship with the Lord. Because the next thing that happens,
it says a great storm of wind And the waves beat into the ship
so that it was now full. At least four of those men that
were in that boat with him, at least four of them were aged
and taught fishermen. They fished that sea probably
all their lives. Peter, Andrew, James and John.
They probably had good knowledge of that sea. They were seasoned
men. But this storm was different.
This was a mighty trial. You know there's some trials
that the Lord sends and He graciously tempers them. But then there's
some storms that we go through that just buckle us. And they're so hurtful. They're
so painful. You think, how could that have
happened? How could this have happened?
This was a great storm, and the waves started to fill up that
boat. And now, with this storm, this
storm now is raging around them. It's a whirlwind of a storm.
The boat's full. I just try to imagine if you've
never been in a boat where water is coming in it. I mean you get
real serious, real fast, you know. Especially out like this. I mean if I can see the shore
and it's right there, well maybe I can swim to that. But they're
out in the middle here. And this storm and all God's
people They're going to be finding themselves in the storm, in these
trials. But who sent the storm? Hold your place and turn to Psalm
107. Psalm 107. Psalm 107, verse 23. They that go down to the sea in ships, do business in great waters.
These see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
Now listen to this. For He commandeth and raiseth
the stormy wind which lifted up the waves thereof. Here's my question. Who sent
the storm? Now if you want some comfort
here in the midst of a storm, is to stop and realize who sent
this. Who sends the storm to God's
people? Who moves and allows the means
of whatever His choosing to come to God's people and hit them
like a ton of bricks? And then realize. The Lord sent
this. The Lord sent this. The faith of God's true disciples
is going to be tried. Tried in the fire of adversity
and chastisement. He's going to prove his faithfulness
to not leave them or forsake them. He sent the storm. Every believer learns. Do not
expect to avoid tribulation and trials in this life. They are
sent to teach us. Don't ever think that sickness,
losses, disappointments. The Lord has promised safety
to the other side. But oh, the trip over. Don Fortner
told me this. He said, as much as I understand,
he said dying's easy. It's getting there. That's the
tough part. Oh, the disappointments, the
trials, the tribulations, the hurts. He never promised that
we would not suffer in this life. In fact, He promised that we
would. John 16, 33, these things I've spoken unto you that in
me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation,
but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. Oh,
how mercifully He teaches us and causes us to draw unto Him
He's weaning us from this world. That's what He's doing. He's
teaching us something. It's not your home. This is all
that's in this world. We long for heaven. We need the
correction. I was reminded of that here just
about a week ago. I needed that. I needed that. I needed that. Listen to this,
Job 5.17, Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth. Therefore despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord. David said in Psalm 119.71, It's
good for me that I've been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. Next, we're reminded that in
the midst of the trials, He is ever faithful and watchful. He always sees. Look at verse
38, back in Mark 4. He was in the hinder part of
the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake him, and saying
to him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? Now, here we see something. He is truly man. He is man. He was made flesh. God, the Word, was made flesh. When we say Christ, that means
God, man. That's Christ, the Messiah. Truly God, truly man. And the
scripture declares that he was asleep. Now let me ask you something.
Was he really asleep? Yeah. He was really asleep. He'd been preaching all day.
The cares of preparing. The cares for me. Not him, but
me. I mean, the time of trying to
see a passage of Scripture, and looking at it, praying, asking
God to give you direction, write down some notes, then three times
later correct them, do them again, write and ask Him, the Lord,
and then stand up and preach them, and I leave. I'm tired.
I'm tired. It's weighty. It's weighty. The Lord's been preaching. been
preaching all day, and he's tired. He got hungry, he got thirsty.
And here the scripture says that he was asleep, truly asleep,
the man. But I want to bring something
out here. As God, he wasn't asleep. There was a man, he was truly
asleep. And as God, He wasn't asleep.
I can back this up. Psalm 121, 2 and 3. My help coming
from Jehovah, which made heaven and earth, He will not suffer
thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not
slumber. He never sleeps. So here was
the Lord asleep. The man, Christ Jesus, He sure
was. He was asleep. He wasn't slumbering. Here they
cried unto Him, Master. You know, last week we dealt
with, in Matthew 5, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain. I said before, I know everybody,
they talk about saying, you know, God's name in a curse word, or
saying, oh my God, or something. They cried, Master, carest thou
not that we perish? Now if you want to know a perfect
example of taking the Lord's name in vain, here it is right
here. Master, carest thou not that
we perish? Let me ask you this, what did
he tell them before they got in the boat? We're going to the
other side. Here is the shepherd of the sheep. Truly was there any reason to
fear the storm? Was he not with them? Let us
pass over to the other side. In the midst of that storm, here's
what we would think they would have done. Let it come what may. The Lord is with us. That's right.
The Lord's watching over us. That's right. And we're not going
to perish. That is right. Is that what they're
asking? Lord, Master, carest thou not? Oh, listen. Here he's going to
teach them something. And here is where we're learning,
too. We're taught who rules. in the army of heaven and among
the inhabitants of the earth. Look at verse 39. And he arose
and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there
was a great calm. They woke him up. And God stood
up and does that which is, humanly speaking, in their minds, impossible. He admonishes and forbids the
wind to continue. Now who sent the wind? He did.
He did. Why did He send the wind? For
their good and for His glory. What did He cause them to do?
To cry unto Him. And when they cried unto Him,
accomplishing the purpose for which He had sent that storm,
He stood up and rebuked the sea and the wind. Here's
God. And now, the wind, the sea, having
served His purpose to cause His disciples to call upon Him, He
says, That's enough. Peace. Be still. And the scripture says that the
wind that was subject to Him, He created that. All the elements
of the water, they knew His voice. That's the Master speaking. He
told us, I want you all to rise up. He told the wind, I want
you to blow. And you caused this to be great
turmoil in here. Rise up. You rise up to heaven. Go down to the deep. And it did
exactly what he said. And when he said, peace, you'd
be still. There was a great calm. I guarantee
you they had never seen that sea without a ripple. When it says a great calm, it
was like glass. And they looked at that, and the scripture declares that
they, having seen him rebuke that wind, they wondered. wonder. The scripture declares next that
we're taught how long-suffering and patient He is with His own. I want you to look at verse 40.
In the midst of that great calm, He said unto them, Why are you
so fearful, so timid? What that word is. How is it
that you have Now I want you to just look at these next two
words. No faith. No faith. In Matthew's account of this,
Matthew 8.26, here's what the Lord said concerning this event. O ye of little faith. Here's
what Luke was moved upon by the Spirit of God saying in Luke
8.25. Where is your faith? And here the Spirit of God moved
upon Mark to write, how is it you have no faith? Now let me ask you this, what
did he mean? He meant exactly what he said. He meant you of little faith,
you where is your faith, and you that have no faith. Whenever we try to take one of
these scriptures and play it against the other, that is nothing
more than our carnal heart attempting to question His Word. He meant
exactly what He meant. Well, why is it that He said
this and said this and said this? Because He did. Are you telling me that we can
have little faith? Where is our faith? And have
no faith? That's exactly what I'm telling
us. Well, I have a problem with that. Well, let God be true and
every man's a liar. Why are you so fearful? I'll
tell you why. They were doing exactly what
we all do. They were looking at the boat full of water. They
were looking at the wind that he raised up. And they doubted
him. Lord, don't you care? He promised to never cast us
off. And he calmed that sea perfectly
still. Why are you so fearful? Aren't you glad that it's not
by our faith that we stand justified before God but by the faith of
Jesus Christ. Not my faith. My faith falters,
and yours does too. The same Lord who showed such pity to His own
on that day is seated at the right hand of God right now.
still sympathizing, still patient toward us, His people. And oh,
how we ought to be patient and sympathizing with each other,
those for whom He laid down His life. And then lastly, we're
taught how little we know of Him who loved us and gave Himself
for us. Verse 41, And they feared exceedingly You know it's an amazing thing.
He said in verse 40, why are you so fearful? And then he said
in verse 41, and then it said, and they feared. Those two words
are different. Those two words are different. Verse 40 means
timid. Verse 41 is indescribably fearful. They were timid. They were timid,
he said, in the midst of the waves. But when they saw him
stand up and say to the wind, to the waves, peace, be still,
and it immediately stopped. They said, what manner of man
is this? Now these men had walked with
him. They knew who He was. That even
the wind and the sea obey Him. What kind of man is this? I'll tell you who He is. And
I'm going to say this and I can't enter into this. This is God
in human flesh. I can say those words so easily
and I cannot grasp hold of this. Here is the eternal surety. What
kind of man is this? What manner of man is this? This
is the judge of all the earth, the one who is the fullness of
the Godhead bodily. This is the eternal I Am, the
righteousness of the saints, the man in glory who is seated
at the right hand of Jehovah, that's coming back to receive
His own unto Himself and to judge the world in righteousness. The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration
of God's Spirit, a man that truly was a chosen vessel. That's what
the Lord says, he's a chosen vessel unto me. A man called
by Christ, taught by Christ. A man caught up to the third
heaven. Scripture says, heard unspeakable
words which are not lawful for a man to utter. He was moved
by the Holy Spirit to admit His total inability concerning what
manner of man is this. He said that I may know Him,
that I may perceive and understand, and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His
death. I love the beginning of that
next chapter. The Lord has said in verse 35,
When the evening come, he saith unto them, let us pass over to
the other side. And look what verse one says,
and they came over unto the other side. Other side of the sea,
into the country of the Gadarenes. That's where he met that demoniac. Oh, may the Lord teach us something
of our journey to the other side. We're going to go with Him. He
said, let us go over. We're going to go with Him. He's
not going to leave us. But I'm going to tell you something.
We're going to have some storms on Carl. We're going to suffer.
But He sent the storm. And He can calm the storm. Even
if the storm is not outwardly calm, He can calm our heart.
Settle us down there. I pray God bless this to our
hearts for Christ's sake. Amen. OK, Gary.