Turn with me to Mark chapter
6, if you would please. Mark chapter 6. The Lord Jesus had just fed 5,000
men plus women and children with two small fish and five loaves
of bread. And in verse 42, we read, and
they did all eat and were filled. And they took up 12 baskets full
of the fragments and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the
loaves were about 5,000 men. And isn't that an amazing story? I loved to say it because it's
true, but our Lord can do anything and everything. There's a lot
of Jesus's out there that can't do anything, but our Lord and
Savior can do anything and everything. And every story concerning Christ
is an amazing story. Verse 45, in straightway, he
constrained his disciples to get into the ship and to go to
the other side before unto Bethesda, while He sent away the people.
Now it seems as though the disciples were reluctant to go. Maybe the
storm was just starting to kick up, starting to brew. Maybe they
just didn't want to go without their Master. We're not really
told. But we do know this much. They had to be constrained. And
that word constrained is a strong word. It means to be compelled. It means to be commanded. He
commanded them to get into the ship. It means to force, to demand,
to pressure, to push, to urge, to require. The Lord would not
take no for an answer. Get in the ship and go to the
other side. Now why did the Lord constrain
them to go? Why was our Lord so insistent?
Why is He so demanding that they go without Him? These are all
things that I ask myself in reading this. Why will He not take no
for an answer? Well, I believe the answer is
this. He's going to teach them something. The Lord always has
a purpose for the things that He does. He's going to test their
faith. He's going to show them that
He is the one thing needful. Has the Lord shown you that He
is the one thing needful in your life? He's going to show them their
need of Him. He does this for all His children.
God's going to teach us. He's going to wean us from this
world and the things of it as we journey to the other side. I believe this is a picture of
the believer journeying to the other side. He said, get in the
ship and go to the other side. Now in our journey, in our crossing
over Eternity. That's where we're headed when
we leave this place of time. We're going to go into eternity. And in our journey, like these
believing disciples, we're going to be met with some winds and
some storms of opposition. Some of you that are older like
myself, you know what I'm talking about. And some of you that are
younger are going to find out what I'm talking about. This
life is full of storms and winds, and when they blow, God's going
to teach you something. He's going to teach you some
things in the midst of the storms that He sends. He's going to
teach you something about yourself. Seems like every trial, every
struggle that I've had in life, I've learned something a little
more about myself. Usually not a good thing. Weak
in faith, so unbelieving, so untrusting. God reveals that
to us in these storms of life. He's gonna teach you some things
concerning Him, and that's a good thing. Anytime that we learn
something more of our Lord and Savior, it benefits us. And as His children, we need
to know and understand some things. We do. And we're going to have
to be taught of God. These things are going to have
to be revealed to us by Him. Peter said, Beloved, see that
you know these things, lest you be led away with the error of
the wicked and fall from your own steadfastness. Grow in grace
and in the knowledge of the Lord, Peter said, and the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both
now and forever. Beloved, these things are written
in this book to teach us to increase our faith as all things were
written in this book for our learning, Paul said. that we
through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might find
hope. We read also in 1 John and we
know, we know that the Son of God has come and hath what? Given
us an understanding that we may know Him that is true and we
are in Him that is true. Has the Lord shown you that?
Even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is true God in eternal life.
We need to know some things. We need to be given understanding.
We need to have these things revealed to us. And so many times,
it's in the storms of life that we are shown these things. God
the Holy Spirit has written, recorded, and preserved His word
through the ages of time so that His elect might be saved. Why?
Because it's by the foolishness of preaching. By the foolishness
of preaching that these things taught in this holy book in which
God is pleased to save sinners, He enables them to believe His
testimony. I hope and pray that that's why
we're here this morning. We're here to worship our God,
as Danny said in his prayer. We're here to praise and thank
Him for redemption in Christ, no doubt. We're here to learn
of Him. We're here to grow in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord. And Christ said, take my yoke
upon you and learn of Me. Learn of me, for I am meek and
lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. And
he also said, this is eternal life, that you might know thee,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
So, I pray that's why we're here this morning, and I pray that
God may enable us to see and understand some things. Now look
at verse 46. And when he had sent them away,
he departed into a mountain to pray. That was often the Lord's
practice. And when evening was come, the
ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. Now look at verse 48. And he saw them toiling and rowing,
for the wind was contrary unto them. And about the fourth watch
of the night, he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and
would have passed by them." Now, four things immediately stand
out here. First is that Christ saw them. Did you notice that? Christ always
has his eye upon his beloved. Isn't that so encouraging? It
is if you're one of his. He's always got his eye upon
you. The eyes of the Lord are upon
the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. For the
eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to
show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect
toward Him. 2 Chronicles chapter 16 verse
9. The second thing I would have
you notice is that Christ saw them toiling and rowing. Toiling and rowing. In false
religion, that's what I did for years. I toiled in rowing. I made no headway. We toil in
our labor. That word toil means to torture,
to torment, to cause great pain. That's all that our toiling will
produce, pain, torture. Great pain. Only pain and torture
with no advancement. No matter how hard they rolled,
no matter how hard they toiled in rowing, they didn't advance. Can you make it to the other
side by your toiling and rolling? Or do you see that you're gonna
have to be brought there? by Christ through the work, righteousness,
and bloodshedding of our Savior. Third thing, Christ saw their
contrary opposition. Why were they struggling in their
efforts? It tells us the wind was contrary.
It blew from the other side, right in their face. I mean,
it blew hard against them. The wind was in their face and
allowed them to gain no ground. Now, who sent that wind? God did. God sends the winds
and storms of trials and tribulations. Aren't you glad to know that? Why does he send them? Same answer
as before, to teach us. to test and try our faith. James
said, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers'
temptations, knowing this." See, we're back to that. We gotta
know some things. We need to know some things.
That the trying of your faith worketh patience, but let patience
have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing. God sends winds and storms to
show His elect that in and of themselves, they can do nothing. Just toiling and rowing. That's
all we do. Not by works of righteousness,
which we've done, but according to His mercy, He saved us by
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. He sends these winds to show
us that by the work of our hands, Oh my, can't you just see them
all? They're rowing, they're toiling
and rowing. Boy, they're getting with it
and they're getting nowhere. That's a picture of us when we
try to work out our own salvation. And the fourth thing that I see
here is that Christ came to them. It may have looked as though
the Lord was going to pass them by. We read that in verse 48.
But He didn't. He didn't pass them by. Sometimes
it may seem as though He's passed us by or He's going to pass us
by. But He won't. He won't. When in trouble, Christ
always, always, always comes to his people's aid. Always delivers them. That's
always been the promise of God to his people. It's all through
the scriptures. Behold, I am with thee and will
keep thee in all places, whither thou goest and will bring thee
again into this land, for I will not leave thee until I have done
that which I have spoken. Be strong and be of good courage,
fear not nor be afraid of them for the Lord thy God, He it is
that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee nor forsake
thee. David said that in the course
of his life that he had never seen the righteous forsaken or
the righteous seed begging for bread, never. He said, I've been
young, and I've been old, and I've never seen God's people
forsaken. That's the promise of God. The
prophet Samuel said, for the Lord will not forsake His people
for His great name's sake. Why, it would bring dishonor
and discredit to Him if He did. He won't forsake you for His
name's sake, for His own glory, for His own honor, because it
is pleased the Lord to make you His people. Have you ever heard
such wondrous things? And even knowing these things,
by nature, we're weak in faith and prone to fear. Tell me it's
not so. And again in verse 48, he saw
them toiling and rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them.
And about the fourth watch of the night, approximately 3 to
4 AM, Most commentators think that
for more than nine hours now they had struggled on the sea.
I've been on the water in a storm and nine hours is a long time.
Nine minutes is a long time. Nine seconds is pretty long. When I tell you, when those winds
and those waves and you're out there, oh my. Nine hours. But it says that he cometh unto
them. walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. Now
look at this, verse 49. But when they saw him walking
upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit. And they cried
out for they all saw him and were troubled. And immediately
he talked with them and saith unto them, be of good cheer,
it is I, be not afraid. Now we have to remember here
that these men were some bold and brave fellows. They were
not afraid of the sea. Matter of fact, at least four
of them, if not six of them, were professional fishermen that
were on board this ship. This wind and these waves and
all this out on the water, it wasn't anything new to them.
They were not afraid of the wind and the storm. They were afraid
of their best friend. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that
an amazing thought? He was about to steal the storm
for them, yet they were afraid of Him who they loved and trusted. Before their eyes, He was displaying
Himself as Lord over all, master of the wind and of the waves,
and yet they were afraid of Him. The greatness of His power should
have comforted them. And had they truly understand
who Jesus Christ really was, it would have. Yet how gracious
is our Lord, how tender are His mercies. Verse 50, For they saw
Him, and they were troubled, and immediately. That word just
kind of sticks out, doesn't it? And immediately, He talked to
them. And he said, be of good cheer.
It is I, be not afraid. Now I'm telling you, there's
so much instruction here. So much found in those few words,
it is I, be not afraid. May the Holy Spirit be our teacher.
First of all, I want you to see that Christ assured them that
He was not some disembodied spirit. When they saw Him walking on
the water, He was walking on the water as a man. He wasn't
any ghost. He wasn't some disembodied spirit,
some apparition. No, He was Himself. He's walking on the water. And
they thought it was a spirit. But he said, it's I. It's me. It's me. And that I was a man
who did eat and drink with them. It was a man whom they lived
with, a man of flesh and blood whom they had seen, heard, and
touched. They were comforted when they
knew that it was really not some spirit, some ghost, but a man
of flesh and blood. And I say to you now and to myself,
child of God, always remember concerning our Lord Jesus that
He's not to be regarded as an unclothed spirit. He wears a
body like our own. Now listen, our Lord has taken
into heaven human nature in its entirety, body as well as soul,
yet without sin, and he ever lives not as a spirit, but as
a man." Isn't that incredible? There's a man sitting on the
throne. He's not just any man, he's the
God-man, but a man nonetheless. And he pledges and he promises
to his children that they shall also be with him soon in a resurrected,
glorified body. Oh, I'm telling you, if we could
get a hold of that. As a real man, Christ Jesus reigns above. He's no phantom, He's no ghost,
He's no spirit, but a risen man. Scripture says, touched with
the feeling of our infirmities. There's not anything that you
can go through in this life that He has not Himself experienced. What? What a revelation. He's touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. And He, as a man, speaks out
to us in the glory of heaven, and He says, it's I. Be not afraid. Oh, dear friend, be sure of the
reality of the Christ you trust in. It's very, very easy to use
the name of Jesus. It's thrown around so flippantly
anymore. But it's not quite so easy to
know His person. It takes a divine revelation
from God. It's a common thing to talk about
what Christ did Oh, I believe in Jesus. He came to earth. He
died for the sins. We just so flippantly say these
things, but to feel and understand that our Lord is a person to
be loved and to be trusted in more so than any brother, father,
or friend. That's what I'm talking about.
When the Lord said, It is I, what a big I that is. What a big eye that is. You can
take all that is conceivable of goodness and mercy and grace
and faithfulness and love and then you can add perfect humanity
with the infinite Godhead and all the sovereign rights and
powers and possessions of the Most High that and contain it
in one little letter. I. I. It is I. It is I. Be not afraid. And to make this
thing even more precious, literally what Christ said was, it is I
am. It is I am, I am that I am. When God would cheer his saints
in Moses' day while they were in Egyptian bondage, the Lord
bade Moses to comfort Israel by saying, I am has sent me unto
you. Oh, can you, what a comfort that
is. Child of God, I am sent me to you this morning. Oh, if you're
struggling with anything, if the storms of life are blowing
hard against you, I am is here. It's the self-existence of God
that cheers those that know Him. He says, I am. Not I was, not
I'm going to be, always I am. How can I be afraid when the
One who comes to me is not only God, but He's God my Father? Don't forget that. He's God my
Father. Your Father, child of God. He
who loves me with an everlasting love is the One who's come to
me. He's out to do me good. When Jesus said, I am to those
that came to take him in Gethsemane's garden, they fell backward at
the power that was in that word, I am. It says they fell backwards. It knocked them off their feet.
But when he said, I am to these cowardly disciples, well, they
were drawn towards him. You see how this works? Oh, and
they were comforted and they ceased from their fear. He said,
it is I. Be not afraid. When we see who he is. Well, look at verse 51. And he
went up unto them and to the ship. John's account said that
they willingly received him. I bet they did. God's people
are made willing to receive and bow to Christ in the day of his
power. Men say, oh, won't you receive
Jesus? Oh, if you see what you are and
who He is, you'll receive Him gladly. You'll willingly receive
Him, won't you? When we see who He is, He makes
us willing in the day of His power to depend upon Him for
everything. Everything. Read on. And the
wind ceased. And they were sore amazed in
themselves, beyond measure, and wondered. And I'm telling you,
when it comes to the love, mercy, and grace of Christ my Savior,
I'm amazed more and more beyond measure, aren't you? Why were the disciples so troubled,
sore amazed, it says, beyond measure, and wondered how these
things could be? You know what, they really shouldn't
have been troubled. They really shouldn't have been. And neither
should we, but we are, aren't we? They shouldn't have been
amazed beyond measure. We should never be amazed. Our
Savior is God. But we still are. They shouldn't
have wondered at these things. We often wonder at His mercy
and grace, don't we? So why did they? Why were they
troubled? Why were they amazed? Verse 52.
For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart
was hardened." Now, let me immediately say that this does not mean that
the disciples were against Christ or hated him. It doesn't mean
their hearts were hardened in that respect, in that way. The
Greek word for hardness here means rendered stupid. Sometimes
amazing how the word of God so correctly describes us. It means
rendered stupid or calloused. It means blinded. I don't know
about you, but that described me pretty well. Some of you may go and say, well,
the preacher called me stupid. No, he didn't. God called you
stupid. He calls me stupid. Because that's
the way we act. Calloused. Blinded. Why is that so? For the same
reason as it was so with the disciples. For they consider
not the miracle of the loaves. Did you notice that the words,
the miracle, in this verse are italicized. They were added by
the translators. Literally, the sentence reads
that they, the disciples, considered not the loaves. Well, what does
that mean? Well, what about the miracle
of the loaves should they have considered? Well, they should
have considered who the loaves represented. They should have
considered who multiplied those loaves in that great miracle.
They should have considered who gave the loaves. Do you know
that before the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, that nearly
20 miracles are recorded in the scriptures? No telling how many
more the Lord performed that weren't recorded. Because in
another place, it says if all the things that the Lord Jesus
were done were recorded in this book, there wouldn't be enough
room in this world to contain the volumes of books that it
would take. So we know that there was many, many more than just
20. But at least 20 are were performed before the miracle
of the loaves and fishes. Chronologically, I looked them
up. Our Lord had turned water into wine. He had healed a nobleman's
son. He had cast out a devil in the
synagogue at Capernaum. He healed Peter's mother-in-law
of a fever. He healed many other diseases
that same evening. He caught a multitude of fish
with fishermen who had toiled all night. So much so that their
boats begin to sink. You remember that story. He healed
an incurable leper. Before the Lord was ever upon
the scene, leprosy was a death warrant. You didn't bounce back
from that. He healed an incurable leper. He healed the centurion servant.
He healed the paralyzed man who was let down through the roof.
He healed the man with the withered hand. He raised the dead man
at the city of Nain. He had once before calmed the
storm and the sea in Mark chapter 4, so they'd already experienced
this once. cast the legion of devils out
of that man from Gadara. He healed the woman with the
issue of blood who'd been that way for 13 years. He raised Jairus's
daughter from the dead. Healed two blind men. Healed
a mute man right after the two blind men. Healed the impotent
man at the Pool of Bethesda who'd been in that condition 38 years. And then he fed 5,000 men plus
women and children. Yet here in verse 52, we read
that they were stupid, blind, and calloused because they considered
not the miracle of the loaves. It seems that due to their unbelief,
they had not considered any of the Lord's miracles. Why is this
one mentioned? Not just because it had been
done less than 24 hours previous. That's not why. Because the reason, but because
that miracle showed us and showed them, shows all who Christ really
was. Now turn with me to John chapter
6 and I'll try to finish up. Here we have John's account of
this same story we just looked at. And I'm reminded of Paul
Harvey that used to say, here we have the rest of the story. We'll pick up, we'll pick the
story up in verse 25. John 6 verse 25. And when they had found Him on
the other side of the sea, when we left off the story in Mark
6, They went on across. The Lord
calmed the sea and the storm. And they went on across. And
here we find them on the other side of the sea. And those who
had been with Him on the other side said unto Him, Rabbi, when
camest thou hither? And Jesus answered them and said,
Verily I say unto you, you seek Me not because you saw the miracles,
but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. Labor
not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth
into everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto
you. For him hath God the Father sealed. And then they said unto
him, what shall we do that we might work the works of God? And Jesus answered and said unto
them, this is the work of God. This is the work of God, that
you believe on Him whom He has sent. Now that's the issue right
there. That's the issue. We have great
difficulty believing on the one whom God has sent. Verse 30,
they said therefore unto him, what signs showest thou then?
that we may see and believe thee. What dost thou work?" Now remember,
He had just fed 5,000 of them with five loaves and two fishes. What kind of sign did they need?
What kind of sign do you need? Verse 31, Our fathers did eat
manna in the desert, and as it is written, He gave them bread
from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven." Moses didn't cook that bread up and throw it out there
fresh every day. That was sent down from above,
from God. But he doesn't dwell on that
issue. He said, Moses gave you not that
bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from
heaven. For the bread of God is He. Did
you hear that? The bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. And then
said they unto him, Lord evermore give us this bread. And Jesus
said unto them, I am the bread. I am the bread of life. He that
cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall
never thirst. But I say unto you that ye also
have seen Me, and believe not." Now, there again, that's the
issue. This is so important. Now, we've got to remember that
His disciples are here too. This Word is as much for them
as it was for these that had followed Him to the other side.
Maybe even more so for them. Why? Because they had seen Him
day in and day out. They had lived with Him. They
saw all of His miracles, every single one. But they believed
not. They were calloused. They were
blind. They acted stupid. That's why
His disciples were so troubled, so amazed in such wonderment.
They forgot that He was the Bread of Life. Don't ever forget that. Don't forget that. They forgot
that He was God in the flesh, Child of God. Don't forget that. When you face the storms of life
that our great God sends, never forget those words. It is I. Be not afraid. Verse 41, the Jews then murmured
at him because he said, I am the bread which came down from
heaven. Isn't that amazing? Oh, I'm telling
you, if you want to see something of your sin, just look at your
unbelief. They murmured, they said, because
he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they
said, is not this Jesus the son of Joseph? whose father and mother
we know, how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
Unless don't be too hard on him, we would have done the same thing.
We'd have done the same thing. But friends, our Lord was much
more than Joseph's son and Mary's son. He says, it's I. It's I. It is I am. That's who
I am, I am, I am. Be not afraid. This is the great
I Am that we're talking about. Verse 43, Jesus therefore answered
and said unto them, murmur not among yourselves, no man can
come to me except the Father which hath sent me drawing, and
I'll raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets,
and they shall be all taught of God. Do you hear that? No
man's gonna come unless the Father which sent me drawing It's written
in the prophets, no man's gonna learn, no man's gonna understand
these things unless they're taught of God. Every man therefore that
hath heard with spiritual ears, not just with natural ears, and
hath learned of who the Father, that's who they have to be taught
by, cometh unto me. Not that any man has seen the
Father, save he, except he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
And verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me
hath everlasting life." And look at verse 48. I am that bread
of life. Your fathers did eat manna in
the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh
down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am
the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of
this bread, he shall live forever. Now listen to me, child of God,
whatever we face, whatever we face in this journey of reaching
the other side, Whatever difficulties we encounter, whatever troubles
God sends our way, be not troubled. Be not amazed. Don't be filled
with unbelief, for our Lord will immediately come to you with
those words of great comfort and say, it is I. It is I. I am that I am. It is I. Be not afraid. Lord, help me
to believe. I do believe, help thou my unbelief. Lord, cause me to trust in the
great I am. Oh my. OK. Let's pray. Father, we confess to you that
we are, we're stupid. Lord, we so calloused,
so unbelieving, help thou our unbelief. Cause us, Lord, to
not only see our need in times of trouble, but to see our need
every second of every day, our spiritual need. Lord, we're dead
in trespasses and sin. Unless you reveal Christ to us
and show us that if we have Him, we have life, we'll perish in
our sin. Lord, help us to cling to Christ,
to lean on Him in every area of life. Lord, enable us to believe
as we ought, to believe as You're worthy to be believed in. For You are God, and there's
none beside Thee. Lord, we admit that we're so
consumed with ourselves and our own troubles that we forget That
you're our loving father. Let us never Lord take. For granted
that blessed privilege. And we ask Lord that you go with
us as we leave this place and that you cause us to dwell on
these things and enable us to always remember. That you're
with us wherever we go, that you always come to us in time
of need. You'll never leave us nor forsake
us. Lord, until. The next appointed
hour. We ask that you. Keep us safe
that you protect us to keep your merciful hand upon us for Christ's
sake. We ask. Amen.