If you will, I'd like for you
to take your Bibles and turn with me to Mark chapter six. Mark chapter six. Look down here at verse 45. Now this is after the feeding
of the 5,000 and later on in that day. And straightway he constrained
his disciples to get into the ship and go to the other side
before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And
when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 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,
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. For 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 he saith unto them, Be of good cheer, it is I, be
not afraid. And he went up unto them in the
ship, The wind ceased, and they were sore amazed in themselves
beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle
of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. Our lesson this
morning is just this, lessons in the sea. Our Lord and Master had just
taught His disciples some valuable lessons concerning the ministry
to which He had called them. And the first was that He viewed
that whole multitude as sheep. Here they come. distinguishing
as far as the disciples were concerned. I don't even know
how much they thought about election at this particular time. But
this multitude was coming, and you couldn't distinguish one
from another. They were all needy. They were
all in need of something, and they were seeking the master.
And they came, and he saw them as sheep having not a shepherd. They were sheep. Now he didn't say they were sheep,
but they were as sheep. He knows his sheep. He's not
ignorant as to who his sheep are. He told those Pharisees,
he said, you believe not because you're not my sheep. He knows
his sheep. My sheep know me and I know them
and they follow me. Several times he came to his
sheep individually, the woman at the well, the man at the pool
of Bethesda, and so on. He knows his sheep. His sheep been given to him before
the foundation of the world. But here he's instructing his
disciples who could not discern the sheep from the goats. And
he's setting a public example, and so he treats all who come
to him as sheep. God help me. When you gather
in here on Sunday morning as we're gathered today, let me
treat every individual that comes through that door as though he
were God's sheep. Let me speak to him as though
he could hear. Let me teach him as though he
could be taught. Let me instruct him as though
he were submissive. Let me treat him or her or small
children or whoever comes through that door as sheep. Now this
is the lesson our Lord's teaching these disciples. They're about
to go out. He's going to the cross. Not
going to be very long. He's going to the cross. And
He's going to send these men out. They're going to be His
witnesses. They're going to be establishing the New Testament
churches as they go out. And they need to know some things.
They need to be instructed of him. And this is his first instruction
to them. He told them that he viewed this
multitude as sheep. And that's the way I want to
view the congregation who's gathered here on Sunday morning. You'll
manifest who you are and what you are in time. I won't have
to do that. You'll do it yourself. Do it
yourself. This multitude was made up of
old and young and male and female and parents and children and
Christ had compassion on the whole company. And he fed the
whole multitude with the same bread and the same fish, same
meat. He fed that whole multitude. Let this preacher treat the whole
congregation with compassion and do my best to feed every
soul to satisfaction. The second lesson he taught is
that he's not subject to the natural order of things. I just
want you to think about that for a minute. Now if he were, what would be the use of coming? If he were subject to the natural
order of things, why would I come to him? Because that's my problem. I'm subject to those things.
I'm subject to disease. These men were sick from disease.
They were subject to the natural order of things. They were subject
to hunger and thirst and all of these things. They were subject
to it. He's not subject. He's low. He's low. When things are beyond Your control, do you believe
they're beyond His? No, we go to Him, especially
when things are beyond our control. We don't really know it or think
about it, but everything's beyond your control. He's attended our
whole lives with provenient grace, and that is grace before grace,
or grace upon grace, watching over us, ordering all things
for us. Now the disciples, they were
subject to these things and they would have sent the multitude
away, not necessarily because they were not compassionate,
but because they were without ability. They didn't see any
way to feed them. Now we can drain the account,
we can take 200 pennies and we can go out here and buy 200 pennies
worth of bread, but it ain't going to feed that multitude. There were no stores around. There was no provision. There
were no houses. And the Lord looked at them and
said, you feed them. You feed them. And they must
have looked at one another and said, with what? You feed them. So they went out and they gathered
what they could. There was a lad there that I'm
told in the other accounts that had some fishes and loaves, and
they brought what they had to him, and he turned his eyes to
heaven, asked the Father's blessings on it, and then he divided it,
and then he gave it back to the disciples. Now he said, go feed
the multitude. Now they had plenty. They had
plenty. Christ is not subject to the
natural order of things. He can turn water into wine.
He can make the meal and oil in the barrel to just never diminish,
just keep going. He can make the iron to float
in the river. He can make the waves roll back
and stand still while they pass through the sea. He can roll
flooded Jordan back and let the whole company of Israel walk
across on dry land. He's not subject to the natural
order of things. He's the Lord of heaven and earth,
and He's not subject to fallen nature. He can work in us both
to will and to do of His good pleasure, in spite of our fallen
nature, in spite of our inabilities. And there was lots and lots of
lessons, but for the sake of time, let me move to this week's
lesson. Our Lord sent his disciples into
the sea at night and into a storm. He constrained them. Now that
tells me they didn't really want to get in that ship. It was evening
They've been with this multitude all day. They've been ministering
to this multitude. He gave them, and they passed
it out to 5,000 people. I fed 12 and 15 one time at the
house. I don't know how many were there
for Thanksgiving, but you were there. I'm telling you, that's
a chore, isn't it? I wore out. Imagine feeding 5,000. That ain't counting the women
and children. and ain't going around after
them and cleaning everything up. Lots of lessons. But he constrained
them to get in that ship and he knew what that sea was and
he knew what that storm was because he arranged it. And he constrained
them to get in. He's going to teach them something.
So they just jumped in that little ship and away they went. Now the first lesson in the sea
is that Jesus Christ has arranged all providence. When Paul talked
about wanting to go to a place but couldn't go, he said the
Holy Spirit prevented him. It wouldn't allow him to go.
That's not what we say. Well, as luck would have it,
you know. They weren't going to be home. It snowed that day. I couldn't go. We couldn't have
service that Sunday. There's ice on the road. You think that's just a circumstance?
You think that's a fluke? You think that just happened?
No, it was ordered by the Lord, and this is what He's going to
teach these men. He has arranged and ordered all things And those things will dictate
where they can go and where they can't go. But He's Lord. He's Lord of Providence. Wasn't
their idea to sail off by themselves into the night. It was His command. Verse 45, He constrained His
disciples to get into the ship and go to the other side. Now
if that's not a picture of the life of a believer, I don't know
what is. We get into the good ship of
grace and we begin our journey to the other side. That's what
we're doing. But it's dark on the sea at night,
ain't it? It's dark on the sea at night.
And we can't see all those obstacles out there. You can't see them.
These were experienced mariners. They knew about storms. They
knew about disasters. They knew things could happen
out there. This wasn't their first time in a ship, but they
couldn't see what was out there. They could see what was right
here. So they got in that ship and they went out. And we, ourselves,
we can't see these obstacles, we can't see the dangers, and
we can't predict the future. And believers, I hope you're
listening to me. Believers look not on things
which are seen. Isn't that what the scripture
says? They look not on things which are seen, but at things
which are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporal, they're just temporary. But the things which are not
seen are eternal. I don't need to see the weather
map so I can go hide in a hole somewhere. My Lord has arranged
that situation and He'll control it. And I'm going to tell you
something, if He wants you, and when He does, that's it. All the doctors in the world,
all the medicine in the world is not going to help. When He
calls you home, you're going home. That's just the way it
is. I'm just telling you as blunt
and as clear as I know how to tell you. I don't know. He's arranged these
situations and he'll control them. And I don't know what lies
in front of us, but I know who sits on the throne. And I know that he worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will. And I may pray, I may
pray during an ice storm, I may pray during a tornado, but I'm
told to follow that prayer up, not my will, but thy will be
done. Huh? And I know this, he worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will, and I know that the
working of all things, he works them together for our good and
his glory. Neither myself or my wife saw
her cancer coming. That blindsided me. Neither one
of us were expecting that. Neither one of us. We weren't
prepared for it. The impact of it was great on
both of us. But we both know who sent it.
We bowed to the fact that he did. And as best we could, we
submitted ourselves to his will. Did I pray that he'd heal her?
Yes, I did. But I followed it up. Not my
will. Not my will. My will's not gonna
be done. His will is. His will is. I hope you can see what I'm trying
to teach you here this morning. We do not dictate God's providence. He does. He does. everything in front of the good
ship of grace is arranged it's arranged for our good and his
glory and he's one hundred percent in control if he's visibly sitting
by me in the ship or if he's alone on land and I'm in the
middle of the sea it has a good purpose behind
it, and a glorious object before it. And in this particular case,
it was to prepare these men for the ministry to which they've
been called. Now the second lesson in the
sea is that to see the Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to all your
problems. I don't care what providence
sends your way, he's the answer. He's the answer. There is no
other answer. He's the answer. He and He alone can comfort us
in any situation and He can calm that troubled sea. Oh, what wonder and amazement
must have filled their souls when they saw Jesus Christ walking
upon that troubled sea. Verse 51 it says, and they were
sore amazed beyond measure. Beyond measure and wondered. Now there have been some times
in my life when like David I could say, I thought I was clean gone. That's what David said. I thought
I was gone. I thought that was it. There
have been some times when like these disciples I thought I'd
perish. But boy, when he comes to you,
and he comes in the midst of your trouble, what a calming
effect it has on your soul. Everything that is out of sorts
seems to find its place again when he comes on the sea. Now
the third lesson in the sea is a lesson of compassion. Verse
52 of our text, it says, for they considered not the miracle
of the loaves. They just saw him take five loaves
and two fishes and feed a huge multitude. And then picked up
more fragments than they had in the beginning. They picked
up 12 basketfuls of fragments. They considered not the miracle
of the loaves, now watch this, for their heart was hardened.
Their heart was hardened. And I'm telling you there's nothing
I fear more and nothing of which I'm more ashamed than a hard
heart. Uncaring. Unmoved. Self-absorbed. Spirit. Unstirred heart. Our Lord made
as though he didn't see them. He would have, the scripture
said, passed by. But he didn't. He didn't. Our Lord made as though he didn't
see them. And though he would walk past
them without concern for them, that's what they thought, he's
just going to pass us by. They saw him and were troubled
and cried out. Now let me tell you something.
Love comes from being loved. You can't teach love like you
teach math. comes from being loved. He said,
not that you love God, but that he loved you. And we love him
because he first loved us. Isn't that true? Love comes from being loved. And this is what he's gonna teach
them. He's gonna teach them something about compassion, something about
kindness, something about understanding. And so he puts them in the same
situation that those desperate sinners were that come to him
on the mountain. They didn't have any other hope. He was their
hope. And then he reveals himself to
them, just like he did to some in that multitude. Compassion comes from receiving
compassion. In Ephesians 4.32, Paul wrote,
and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. How
do you get over something? A breach comes, and there's a
wall there. How do you get over it? All you
gotta do is think about yourself and the Lord. That's all you
gotta do. You had more of a breach than
that guy does with you, with God. Your breach was much greater,
wasn't it? Did God demand something from
you? No. He saved you freely by his
grace, didn't he? Huh? He didn't owe you mercy. He didn't owe you his coming.
He just did it. You just did it, and he did it
because he loved you. He loved you. That multitude was in trouble,
not only food-wise and infirmity-wise, but spiritual-wise. And I don't
know if you think about this much, but my friend, people are
going down that broad road, perhaps billions at a time, and
this road ends It empties out into the abyss. It empties out
into hell. It's a broad road. You've got
lots of company if you want to get on that road. But it empties out into hell. And they don't know it. And they
never will except God arrange his providence to warn them and
send them a messenger to tell them the truth. And for the most part they were
deceived those who were on that broad road. Who knows how many along that
coast watched that multitude run into Christ and laughed them
to scorn. Poor, pitiful crowd running after
him. He can't do nothing for them. Setting their homes unmoved,
deceived, finding satisfaction in their wills and the law and
their works and whatever else. But those who do come to our
Lord, He'll have compassion on, and He'll have us to do so in
His absence. To have compassion on them. Preach
to them. Tell them the truth. Don't hold
it back. But they'd forgotten the lessons
of the feeding of the multitude, and their hearts were hardened. But now look at those pitiful
disciples in the sea. Now they're in need of help. Now they're in need of a savior.
Now they're as desperate as that multitude was, maybe more so. Now it's them who are crying
out, them who are threatened. Once again, our Lord is compassionate. He's compassionate. Immediately,
he talked with them and said, be of good cheer. Nobody else can tell you that.
I'm gonna tell you something. I've been where these men are. And no human being can say, be
of good cheer, and you'll be of good cheer. You go right in
there and right out there. But when he tells you, be a good
cheater. You're a good cheater. Huh? Be not afraid. It's I. Now watch this. While all this
was going on, the storm was still raging. He don't calm the sea and then
tell you to be of good cheer. He tells you to be of good cheer
while the waves are still raging. He didn't calm the sea and then
say, be of good cheer. He said these things while the
storm was still bearing down on that little ship. In Matthew's
account, over in Matthew 14. Peter asked the Lord, he saw
him there, and after he spoke, he said, Lord, bid me to come
out there with you. And the Lord said, come on. And
he did. He got out of that ship, and
I don't know how many steps he took, but Peter walked on water
going to the Lord. Until he saw what? The waves. He saw the storm and them lightning
flashes and here he stands and he's got his eyes on Christ and
then he looked over here and here's this big wave, white capping
up, getting ready to come down and Peter started to sink and
he said, Lord save me lest I perish. The Lord reached out and got
him by the hand. The sea was still raging while all this was
going on. These lessons are being taught
while the waves are still crashing and the wind's still blowing
and the ship's still being tossed. Now after the lesson had been
taught, and they willingly received him up into the ship, then the
sea was perfectly calm, everything laid down. The fourth lesson
in the sea is that when Christ is manifested in its midst, there's
a perfect calm. I want you to see something here.
I'm not trying to use a play on words. This is the Holy Spirit's
writing this. He's inspiring these words to
be written. And when the Lord came to them,
he came walking on the sea. He wasn't running. He wasn't
jumping from wave to wave. He wasn't desperately looking
for them. He came to them walking. walking
on the sea, just like you go to the park and take a walk.
You're just walking. Now I'm subject to the sea and
subject to its dangers and threatened by its depth, but he's not. He's not. He strolls on those
waves just like a walk in a park, and it was his It was the disciples
who were being tossed and flailed all around, not him. Verse 51, and he went up unto
them into the ship, and then the wind ceased. What's that
tell you? That tells me Christ is our sufficiency. That's what that tells me. In
him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and we're
complete in him. And then the fifth lesson, in
the sea is that when Christ enters into the vessel, it immediately
is where it's supposed to be. In John 6.21, he tells us that. They were immediately at their
destination. Mark says they passed over and
then he tells us that they landed, they came to the coast. The destination of every believer
is to be with Christ. That's, if you're with him, you're
where you're supposed to be. That's where you're supposed
to be. To walk with him, to know him, to preach him, to rejoice
in him, to rest in him. And when we're with him and he
with us, we're exactly where we need to be. And then let me
close very quickly with this sixth thing. In Matthew's account,
Matthew 14, 33, Then they that were in the ship,
all of them, came and worshiped him, saying of a truth, thou
art the Son of God. We're not gonna worship him until
we're convinced that he is the Son of God. And you're not gonna
be convinced that he's the Son of God until he saved your soul. And that's exactly what he did
to these men. God the Son came into the flesh,
entered into a holy union of God and man in one glorious person. He's the God-man. God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them. And the scripture said he's God
our Savior, and those who know it worship him. They submit themselves
to Him. He died. God. May the Lord Himself teach us
as the Lord Himself taught them. For Christ's sake. Thank you.