Turn to Mark chapter 6. It is I. Be not afraid. Aren't those comforting
words? I've been looking at this for
a couple of weeks. And that statement, is so comforting. It is I. Don't be afraid. Nothing relieves our fears like
His Word and His presence. Nothing. Nothing causes us more
fear in His absence. his absence, not been able to
sense his presence, not having his word. But nothing relieves it like
his word and his presence. Now, verse 45, Christ sends the
people away. And I'm not talking about a crowd
this size. Someone said it probably Between
10 and 20,000 people, total, women, children. He told his disciples, he constrained
them, because I'm sure they wanted to stay there with him. Helped
send the crowd away, you know. But he said, no, you get in the
ship. And you go to the other side. Because he's going to go
to a mountain to pray alone. He's going to go and make intercession,
is what he's going to do. And the people, I'm sure, did
not want to leave. He healed, He fed them, He healed,
He preached to them. I can only imagine what it would
have been like to have literally sat there and listened to the
gracious words fall from His lips. Every word full of meaning, full
of wisdom. full of truth. And that crowd
was in no hurry to leave. So he stays there and he sends
them away. And I thought as I was putting
these notes together, oh for that day when we will not have
to depart. When we will not have to go back
to our homes. we will be forever with the Lord. We'll hope for that day. And
in verse 46, when He sent them away to go back to their homes,
He departed into a mountain to pray. He goes into this mountain to
be alone. He did this often. Our Lord did
this often. And He is our example in this. Let's pay attention here. Don't
let this simple statement here just go right past us. He sent
them away. He got away from the crowd, got
the crowd away, got the disciples away, and then he went away by
himself into a mountain to pray, to commune with his Father, and
to make intercession for his own. He just spoke and he preached
to a multitude, and some of that multitude were his. And I just
believe that he prayed for them, that the message would have its
effect, that they had just heard him speak. He made intercession for them.
Now, if our Lord prayed often, ought we not to do the same? Should we not seek often to get
along and to speak with our Father, to commune with our Father, we ought to do it. It is so important to spend time
alone with God. So important. Now, once again, they are on
the sea. They are about to do business,
once again, in deep water. Once again, they're about to
do business in deep water. And the Lord is preparing them.
He's preparing them for all the trials and the trouble that's
coming. They're going to meet with some tough ones. They're
going to be martyrs. And there's going to be a time when
he's going to die, going to be buried, rise again, and go back
to the Father. And they're not going to be able
to see him. You see, the first time he's in the boat with them
asleep. This time he's not in the boat with them. He's back
on land. And they're on that boat. And
they're going to have to learn to trust him. when they can't
see Him. It's like you can't see Him, can you? I can't see
Him. But we trust Him. And we've got to learn to trust
Him when we can't even detect where He is. Can't even sense His presence.
We have to learn to trust Him. So once again, they're on the
sea. They're about to do business
in deep water. And they are once again going to be afraid. And this will serve them well
as time goes by and they're about to die. They're about to give
their lives as martyrs for the gospel. I bet you they weren't as afraid
then as they are here. They're more afraid here in this
boat than they were when they were about ready to be martyred. Another trial from above is about
to descend upon them. They don't know it. They don't
know what's coming, but He does. He sent them out there on purpose
by themselves. It's called training. Training. That's what it is. I thought of this last night.
Our lives are like chapters in a book. They are. Each chapter is full of the purpose
of God. Every chapter is full of meaning.
It's full of suspense. It has its ups and downs. I'm
on chapter 57. What chapter are you on? I'm on chapter 57, and it's getting
interesting. I'm telling you, I see it as
interesting. I'm waiting to see what's going
to happen. This is of God. And I'm interested. I'm not falling
apart. I'm interested. I'm about to
see the hand of God do something. Isn't that interesting? It is. One time, Cole and I were... Well, I was reading the book.
He was only about three or four years old. We were reading a
book. And I said to him, I said, let's
just get in the book. So we acted like we got in the
book. I acted like I dove in like this, and then he acted
like he dove in. And we started looking around,
and I would read it, and I would act like we were looking at the
trees. We were just in the book. I'm living my story. I'm living
my book. And you are too. And they are.
Whatever chapter they're on, they're out there on the sea.
This is that chapter. And they're going to learn something.
They're going to learn to trust Him when they can't see Him.
It's going to serve them well down the road. It's going to. So in verse 47, they're on the
sea. They can't see Him. And He's on the land. But He can see them. And when
evening was come, The ship was in the midst of the sea and he
alone on the land. And he saw them toiling and rowing. He saw them. A storm is going
on right now. The sea is boisterous. The wind is blowing hard. Someone said they are about three
miles out. And yet it says what? He saw
them. He saw them toiling. He's standing
there on the side. Would you ever see Him? No. I
wouldn't be able to see Him. You wouldn't be able to see Him.
He could. He's God. He's God. Now God sees me. He sees my toiling. He sees my
rowing against the wind. He sees my pain. He sees it. He sees it because He brought
it upon me. Is that right? Whose wind is
it? Whose wind is it? Remember, it's His wind that
comes out of His lot that says, Treasure. It's Treasure House. It's His wind. It's His storm. He put them in the boat. He constrained,
get in the boat, you get out there, I'm going to show you
something. I'm going to teach you something. And then when
they get out there, they're rowing. And I mean, they're rowing and
toiling. That means they were in pain. They were rowing so hard, they
were in pain. I got a little glimpse of this
last year. I was out at Greenboat in a one-man
canoe. If you ever want to get along,
just get a one-man canoe. Nobody can go with you. You have
to base sail. And I'm in a one-man canoe, and
I mean the wind was blowing. I didn't get 250 yards, maybe 300 yards from the
marina, and I thought, I can't do this. So I turned it around,
and I'm headed back into the wind. I didn't think I was going to
make it in. I rowed and I rowed, and the wind blew me this way
and this way, and I rowed, and I was digging. I mean, I was
like digging a grave. I was digging, trying to get
back to it. And when I got back to the marina,
I was exhausted. My shoulders were, and my back
were killing me, trying to row against that wind. And it was
nothing, what they're rowing against, nothing. Toiling. That's what, you know, trials
make us do that. They make us toil. and they're
painful, and they hurt, but they have a purpose. He sees them,
it says, He sees them toiling, rolling against the wind. Their
strength was no match for the wind. Our strength is no match for
anything we go through, is it? Is there anything weaker than
a human being? I mean, A dog can have a pup
out in the wilderness and it'll survive longer than we would.
We have to be carried for years, and I mean years, years before
we can be set on our own. What animal out there takes care
of their young for 18 years or 20 or whatever? What animal does
that? Only this one. Only this person,
only the human race, because we're so weak. Animals learn how to survive
in just a short period of time. It takes us forever to learn
how to do it. Weak, weak. If it were not for the power
of Christ, We would be consumed. And it
wouldn't take much. Not much. But this trial. They're out there
on the sea. They are afraid. They're rowing
hard. They're toiling. They're trying
their best to keep that boat going in the right direction,
keeping it upright. They're doing everything they
can do. But this trial is going to bring
them. Now listen. It's going to bring them another
display of His power. They're going to get another
glimpse of His glory, of His power, of His Godhood. This is
God. This is God. Would you see, would
you see? Let me ask you something. I want
you to answer this seriously to yourself. Would you see the power
of God? Would you see it? I'm not talking
about just making the sun come up every day. I'm talking about
to see the power of God in your life. Would you see it? And don't complain when the storm
comes. Because that's when you're going
to see it. Don't complain when it starts to storm. It's hard. You're rowing hard because you're
about to see the power of God. that's so proven throughout the
Scriptures here. I thought last night, we need to learn to be
riders of the storm instead of criers in it. We're always crying. Learn how to ride it. They saw him, verse 48, 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. They didn't expect that. They've seen him raise the dead.
They have watched him cast out demons. They just watched him
feed thousands and thousands of people. They've watched him
heal. And now they're about to watch
Him walk on water. This is their Lord. This is the
one they have left everything to follow. They're about to watch
Him walk on water and He walked upon the sea and would have passed
by them. He's going to the other side
where He told Him to go. He's not going to pass by them.
You know that. He's going to make them cry out.
He's going to teach them something here. He doesn't just pass His
children by, not when they're in trouble. They saw Him and were troubled. And the reason they were troubled,
they didn't recognize Him. You reckon if we'd ever recognized
God's hand in our situation, we wouldn't be so troubled? You
reckon? If we just recognized the hand
of God in it, we wouldn't be so troubled. They didn't recognize
Him. He's walking. Scripture says He walks upon
the wings of the wind. This sea is boisterous. And listen, He's not leaning
into the wind trying to get to them. That wind has no effect on Him.
That storm has no effect on Him. He's walking upon it. Now I have
to say this, if you're walking on something, you pretty much
have control of it. Don't you? You pretty much have control
of it. And He's walking on this storm. This storm is His. It
just screams, it just screams, under my control. Under my control. But when He saw their fear, immediately,
He didn't just back off and stand there and say, well, I'm just
going to wait a minute. I'll just watch. Immediately, when
he saw their fear, he talked with them. He talked with them. And when they saw him walking
upon the sea, in verse 49, they supposed it had been a spirit.
They cried out. They were scared to death. They
cried out like a bunch of kids being scared to death. Well,
they all saw him and were troubled and immediately, immediately
he talked with them and he said unto them, Be of good cheer,
be of good comfort. It is I. Be not afraid. Be of good cheer. I'm in a storm here. I'm in a
storm. Be of good cheer. I'm in trouble. Be of good comfort. It's ice. Be not afraid. Why
be of good cheer? Here is the reason why to be
of good cheer. It is ice. Is that enough? Is that enough? His presence is something to
be cheerful about. Two things that will relieve
our fears, His presence and His Word. That's it. That's it. Whoever perished having Christ,
it's I. Be not afraid. It is I, your
friend, It is I, your Lord and Master. It is I, your Savior. It is I, your Redeemer. It is
I, your Mediator. It is I, your High Priest. It
is I, your Shepherd. It is I, your God. Be not afraid. It's I. In His Word, He spoke to them. He spoke to them. Lord, speak
to my heart. Speak to the heart of these people.
If you want comfort, that's the only way you're going to get
it, is if He speaks it. Be not afraid. It's all under control. I want
you to notice something. Verse 51. And he went up unto
them and to the ship, and the wind ceased. It ceased. It stopped. There
was another great calm. They experienced their own weakness. And once again they experienced
His power. The wind had all calmed down. Nothing can calm our fears like His presence and His Word.
Nothing. And there's something else I
want you to notice here. And he went up unto them and
to the ship, and the wind ceased. The trial stopped. It had an end. They all have
an end. Remember the first time they
were in the boat? And they said, carest thou not
that we perish? And he stood up and rebuked the
wind and the sea. And it was a great calm. Every trial has its end. It has
its beginning, it has its purpose, it has its lesson, and it has
its end. And He's the master of it. Our Lord is the master
of it. And they marveled, it says in
verse 51, and I'm going to wind this down. They marveled. They were astonished. It says here, and He went up to
them in the ship and the wind ceased and they were sore They
weren't just amazed, they were amazed out of measure. So amazed
in themselves, beyond measure. Stunned. And they wondered again. And they considered not the miracle
of the loaves. That's why they were so stunned. They just forgot what they had
witnessed. But you know what? Take comfort
in this. These are His children. These
are believers. These are believers. These men
believed Him. Except one. And the reason they were so stunned
is that their heart was hardened. Aren't you glad we have Him as
a mediator? I'm so glad we have Him as the
mediator, the sacrifice, our all in all, because we wouldn't
make it. We forget. We forget. Remember the last time the Lord
really delivered you? Well, let me see. Let me see. I've thought about that. So forgetful. And when they had passed over,
they came into the land of Gennesaret and drew to the shore. And when
they had come out of the ship, straightway, they knew him. His
fame went abroad. Went abroad. And look what happened. I wish we could still do this
today. We don't. We don't. But I wish we would.
They ran through that whole region round about. They were... The
Lord is here! And they ran through that region.
And I guarantee you the first place they ran to was home. And
every person they had in that house that was sick, they took
them. The Lord's here. There's hope. Hope just walked
into town. Hope just arrived. And they all
scattered. I can just see these people in
my mind all scattered going to get into sick and the people,
the relatives and stuff. You've got to come. You had to. Well, when's the last time? Now,
I'm talking to me. I preach to me. When's the last
time we compelled somebody to be here and hear this good news? When's the last time we really
did that? When's the last time I did it? Compelled them to come. You've got to. You've got to
come and listen. You've got to hear. The only hope you have is Christ.
Frank said this morning, look to Him. It's the only hope we
have. We don't have any other hope. There is no other name
given under heaven whereby men must be saved. Nobody. No other
name. No other name. They ran through that whole region
round about and began to carry about in beds. They carried Him
there. Picked Him up and carried Him.
In beds. Those that were sick. where they
heard he was. Is he here? Is the Lord here? I wonder if we'd compel somebody
to come if we really believed he was here. And whether so ever he entered
into villages or cities or countries, They laid the sick in the streets.
They just stretched them out in the streets. And they besought
him that they might touch, if it were, but the border of his
garment. And as many as touched him were made whole. Made whole. It is I. Be not afraid. Be not afraid.