Chapter 4, we'll start reading in verse number 33. Verse number 33. An unusual place to get started in this text. Verse 33. But we're going to look at two verses, and then we're going to try to preach from those two verses. The Bible says, And with many such parables spake He word unto them, as they were able to hear it, those able to hear it. Sometimes a parable explains things real good to us. I like the way the Lord spoke in parables. The Bible said in verse 34, But without a parable spake He not unto them. And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. I want to preach on this thought if I could, but without a parable. A parable helped them. And a parable helps me. A parable will help you shine light on situations. But what if you didn't have a parable? What if you didn't have an explanation? Why wouldn't we be in trouble? Father, I pray you'd help me. God, please bless what's been done already for your honor and glory. Help us, I pray. Bless the remainder of the service. And God, just speak to each heart. Thank you for each one that's here. I'm thankful they're here. And Lord, I know that you're pleased with them being here. So God, I just ask you now, God, just to touch our hearts. In Christ's name I do pray. Amen. And amen. Thank you. And you can be seated. I'd like to say this about Christ's parables. Numberless, numberless parables were used in the life, in the ministry of Jesus Christ. If you go back and count them all, you're going to find about three dozen, give or take a few, parables that the Lord used. Or miracles, I said parables, but it'd be miracles that God used and God did. Roughly around three dozen or so recorded. But there's no telling how many was ever really taking place. A number, a number that no man could count. How do you get that? I got that from the Bible. The Bible says in John chapter 21, and there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. John was settled on it. He said, Amen. Amen. The Holy Ghost said it. Put it down there. Amen. So as I look at this and I think about how much stuff the Lord did and the things that He did that was for an example for me and for you and how that we can go back and we can read and talk about and look about. There's just some things that in this book that I'm telling you as a child of God I need it. As a Christian, you need it. I think I was talking to you. I think it was. I told you, I said, I said, I'm going to make a recommendation. I know it's a lot of Bible reading. Wasn't it you I was talking to about this? I think it would do every Christian great, great, great good to read the book of 1 John every day. Every day. You want to know something about your flesh? It'll tell you. Say, I don't want to know about my flesh. You need to know about your flesh. Because the flesh is in intimacy with God. If I'm living in this flesh, I want to know. I want to recognize. I want to be aware that if I say something that's offensive to God, I want to be on my... How many of you ever heard this phrase? on my P's and Q's. I won't be listening out for it. And then if you want to know something about the love of God, the book of 1 John will tell you. If you want to know something about loving your brother, there's some real strong guidelines in that book of 1 John about loving your brother. As a matter of fact, it even goes as far as saying that if you hate your brother, We're living in an hour when it's okay for Christians to dislike each other in their mind, but not according to the Bible. The Bible said in the book of 1 John, if you hate your brother, you're a murderer. It even goes as far to say, I believe it says this, that you're not even saved. Wow. Doesn't make me re-look at how my outlook on life is. In this text right here with these parables, let me get back to this here. That's up to you about reading 1 John. It's helping me. I'll just say that. It's helping me. Maybe it's just for me, but it's helping me. I believe it'll help anybody, Brother Tracy. I really do. Five chapters won't take you long. You can probably read them in less than 10 minutes. I know. Less than 10 minutes. Mark said in verse number 34, but without a parable spake He not unto them. I'm in Mark chapter 4, verse number 34. We know that they're talking right here. We're talking about disciples. We're talking about how Jesus is explaining things. He was always talking to them. And there were times that He didn't say something to the Pharisees in a parable. But whenever he did, if they would ask about it and hang around him a little while, they'd find out what it was. You know what? One of the things that I've never understood, there's a lot of people that come to church and they'll say, I don't understand what that preacher's saying. Keep coming. Keep coming. Just keep on coming. Keep on coming. Maybe not this service. Maybe this service. Maybe this service. You may not admit this, listen to me now. This service, you may not admit this, but maybe this service you had something real heavy on your mind. Maybe this service was, anybody? Weighted down with things, and I'll be honest with you, I mean with the stuff going on in another world right now, on the other side of the world, it's hard not to think about that. It's hard not to think about how them people are treating them people. I read a thing the other day where there was a group, I think, from Fernandina that was visiting over in Israel just on vacation. It's hard not to think about them people over there. It's hard for me not to just look at that and stop and say, you know what, Lord, them people, God, I pray you'll protect, bring them home safely. And then when it's times like that, sometimes it's hard to get something out of church. But come back the next time. Come back the next service. Say, well, my favorite preacher didn't preach. Well, come back the next service. Maybe he will. My favorite singer didn't preach. Well, come back the next service. Maybe they will. The Bible says right here, it says, but without a parable spake he not unto them. He's talking to them. And something takes place after we find out that the Lord Jesus uses parables so much in this text and situations and stories. that we see three things take place following this right here, right now, including in the next chapter. We're only going to look at one of them tonight, so don't be nervous. In verse number 35, let's go there. Mark chapter 4 and verse number 35. The Bible said in the same day, when the evening was come, He said unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. 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." We've read this text so many times. Probably many of you can quote this whole, you know this story by heart. You already know it by heart. Verse 38, "...and when he was in the hindered part of the ship, Asleep on a pillow, they awoke him, and said unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? The Lord can do some things that will help me and some things that will help you, but you've got to be listening to Him. You've got to be close enough that when He speaks, number one, you can hear what He says. You can't get a third-party interpretation from what the Lord said. You can't hear it way down the line and say, well, I think He meant this here. We just want to see what He said. Amen? And so what we see right here in this text that we read, it's been an amazing day. The Lord has dealt with these folk and He's talked with these folk just before chapter 4 and verse 33 and 34. He explains to them about the mustard seed. And it wasn't long before that. He's talking about the first of the fruit, the blade of grass and all, the ear of corn. And then the parable of the candle. And it's been one thing after another. And the Lord's been teaching. And the Lord's been preaching. And He's trying to get stuff out there for them to understand. It's been a long day. It's been a tiring day. He's taught. He's preached. He needs some rest. You say, why would the Lord need rest? Could it be because he physically got tired? I know this. The older I get, the easier it is for me to want to take a nap. Anybody besides me? I'm telling you, Brother Mickey, I can walk in the house. I can walk in the house at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. And if supper is not going to be ready for another hour, and I've got time to go and clean up and freshen up and put on clean clothes, and she'll get me a 15-minute nap before supper. I can eat, get a full belly, go sit in that chair and lean back in that recliner and take me about two hours nap right there. And then if I wake up and my mouth's dry and need a drink of water, I get up and go get me a drink of water and take my medicine and go to bed and sleep all night long. I really do enjoy taking naps. And I just tied them together. Tied them together. Nap, nap, sleep. And I'm the only one like that. I can see it. I can see it right now. I'm the only one. I'm the only one. But can I tell you this? The Lord got tired. He got thirsty. He got hungry. He was a man in a fleshly manner. I know. I know He was the Son of God. I know that He came to seek and to save. That which is lost. But He came in the form of a man. And every man, somewhere along the way, gets tired. They get weary. It's been some kind of a day. We look back over in Matthew chapter number 12. And we see this same story. It's not as elaborated as much on in Mark chapter 3, but we'll look at it. Matthew chapter number 12 and verse number 22. The Bible said, Then was brought unto him one possessed with the devil, blind and dumb, and he healed him insomuch that the blind and the dumb both spake and saw. That same story is over in Mark chapter number 3. But what comes after it right there, well actually, back in Matthew, it says, and when all the people were amazed and said, is this, is not this the son of David? In the next verse, they said, this fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. So in Matthew chapter number 3, we look over there in verse number 22, and the scribes which came down drew and said, he hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devil cast he out devils. Can I tell you this here? There's a lot of people that didn't know Christ like you and I have the privilege of knowing Christ. They knew him as a man walking on the shores of Galilee. They knew him as the Messiah that was to come. And thank God I can read about that. I can read about him, Brother David, walking on the shores of Galilee. I can read about him being in a ship. I can read about him being born in a manger. I can read about everything that's available for us to know about in the birth and the life of Christ. But can I tell you, there's more than that. It's more than me just being able, Brother Jeff, to read about Him. Thank God I can stand here in front of you tonight and tell you that I know Him. I have met Him. He has delivered me. Amen. He washed my sin away. Thank God. He wrote my name down. Listen, I have been born into the family of God. I now am a child of God. I don't have to just read stuff about Him. I know about Him. The Bible says this right here. He cleansed that demonic man or woman or whatever that was. But then I want you to notice that he has to deal with opposition. You know one thing I wouldn't ever want to be? I wouldn't want to be opposition to the Lord. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. Could you imagine people being opposition to the Lord? I don't even want to be opposition to the church. Much less the Lord. He loves the church. I wouldn't want to be opposition to anything that Christ writes. I wouldn't never dare say that that Bible ain't true. That's His Word. Listen, you say you understand all that? No. No, you don't either. I've never met a man that said they understood it all. I've met some that thought they did. But I'm just saying that whatever Christ is for, I'm for. Whatever the Lord's for, I'm for it, Brother Darnell. If He's for the church, I'm for the church. If He's for the saints, I'm for the saints. If He's for heaven, I'm for heaven. If He's for preaching the gospel, I'm for preaching the gospel. Amen. Mark chapter number 3, verse number 20. Verse number 20 right here in chapter 3 says, "...a multitude coming together again, so that they could not so much as to eat. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him, for they said, He is beside himself." His friends. His friends. Well, Jeff, His friends said He's beside Himself. The Lord. People that's walked with him, and people that's heard him teach, and people that's heard him preach, and people that's seen him do miracles, and they've heard the parables. I'll tell you, if it wasn't for a parable, but without a parable, where would you be tonight? How many times have I and how many times have you heard somebody tell about this Galilean that was born in this manger it was talking about a while ago and never had nothing, no place to call home, no place to lay his head, no kind of family reunions, no kind of welcoming parties, nothing, nothing, nothing. But we heard a story about him, how that he would save me. and how He would save you. I'm thankful for that. That was not a parable. That was a truth of history, what that was. I see that He deals with the opposition of His friends. And then in verse number 24, Matthew chapter 12, in verse number 24, it says this is when the Pharisees heard it. They said, this fellow does not cast out devils, but by bells above the prince of the devils. I'm telling you, you had some enemies. Only an enemy of Christ would say things like that. Only an enemy of the church would say things about the church. I don't know about you, but man, I can't stress it enough, Brother Tyler. I can't stress it enough how much I love the church. I can't. I can't stress it enough. I love the church. You don't even have to be here, and I love coming here. I can come right here, right by myself. sit on that front row, get the front row, get down that alder, and have a good time right by myself. Back whenever that COVID broke out the first time, and we couldn't gather around and people together, we was having church in here, and the only people showed up, Brother Jeff and Sister Martha, and my wife, my wife was up there, and Brother, Sister Martha was up there, and Brother Jeff was sitting over there, And, man, I'm telling you, there was so much liberty to come in here and preach. You'd thought there'd be 500 people in here. It was just amazing. One person sitting in... But, Jeff, we had a good time. God met with us, didn't He? I'm telling you, we don't have to have the big crowds. And I'm thankful for whoever God sends in. But what I want to see, I want to see people come to church that wants to meet with God. I want to see people come to church that wants to meet with God. I'm telling you, it makes a difference. You say, but I'm just tired, Brother Edward. I'm tired. I've done this. Well, you knew we was having church tonight. Amen. Brother John, you probably could have turned the day off. No, don't do that. Don't do that. Sister Mandy B said, get yourself back over there and get on that computer. Amen. And I think on Brother John's, he's sitting on the front row. I told him I would. It doesn't matter what he likes. Amen. I'm talking about in this text, something happens. There's some triumphing over disaster. I was talking yesterday to a gentleman on the phone, and he's telling me some stuff that he believes is going to happen, the outcome of all this. And I have not really watched the news. When I say all this, I'm talking about between Israel and on the Gaza Strip over there. And whenever all of this starts taking place, there's always somebody underestimated. There was a six-day war one time. Anybody know about that? Can I tell you something? You don't want to mess with God's people. I don't care if it's Israel, or I don't care if it's the born-again believers of Christ. God just... I know He loves them. I know He does. But He loves us, too. He loves us. And we're different. We've been grafted in. We wasn't born in. We've been grafted in. And He loves me. And He loves you. And the worst thing that the enemy can do, the worst thing anybody can, the worst thing that somebody calls you friend can do is to try to put their hand against you. I'm not trying to sound, I'm not trying to sound none of that crazy hocus pocus stuff and TV evangelistic ministry stuff. I ain't trying to sound like all that. I'm just saying, hey, I'm a child of God. I've read John chapter 17. I know where I stand with Christ. I know that I am in Him and He's in me. And the Father's happy with that. But that fellow told me, he said, Brother Edward, he says, I believe it won't be. It won't be no time. You're going to see Israel just start shooting and dropping. And I'm telling you those areas over there right now, If you've seen any part of it, I'll tell you what it looks like. Me and my wife, Brother Glenn, this is exactly what it looks like. Go back in your mind to whenever them Twin Towers came down and it wasn't nothing but rubble. That's exactly what it looks like, don't it? You say, are you glad of that? Absolutely not. Those innocent people died. But this war's been going on. Somebody help me. This war's been going on long before, long before anybody come out with a calendar. This war's been going on ever since a young man was born by a woman that he wasn't supposed to be born. Well, his name was Ishmael. And this war's been going on ever since Ishmael and Isaac. And I'm telling you, you say, hey, that's going to end up. I know that's going to end up. I know how it's going to end up. Let's look right here. He said, let's go to the other side. I mean, that's pretty point blank. Chapter number four, go back to chapter number four and verse number 35. He said, let us pass over to the other side. Six miles, roughly. Six miles across. Let me say something about this cruise on the boat. These men that are on the boat are experienced, experienced boatmen. If it's the disciples that Jesus was acquainted with pretty much all the time, I'm guessing, I'm thinking, it might have been Peter, James, and John. They were all fishermen. They were people that knew about boats. They were people that knew how to fish. And can I tell you, you can't be a very good fisherman if you don't know how to operate a boat. I mean, I'm just thinking. Brother Leboy, these men probably knew where every little inlet was, where the fish was at. They probably knew every place where the, they knew right where the current flowed through, they knew where the deep part was by the doornail. They knew how to work them oars and they knew how to work a sail. They're experienced fishermen. But this time a storm comes up and they ain't got enough experience to handle the storm. Oh boy, well you didn't get it. I'll say it again. This time a storm came up and they didn't have enough experience to handle the storm. Is this thing working? This time a storm comes up and they didn't have enough experience to handle this storm. Now, sure to goodness, Simon Peter has been a fisherman ever since way back then when he started. James and John, their father had boats and they're working on his boats. They're probably little boys. They had experience on the boat But the experience they had and the storms that they faced, none of them was ever like this storm. Never, best we know, never been a storm where they on the boat, where they doing the fishing, and the Lord Jesus is laying down the underside. You know, it's amazing to me how the Lord just found him a place with a pillow. I mean, I've seen too many cowboy shows and they didn't have pillows. They had saddles. I don't know what fishermen used. They probably wadded up their net and propped their head up on that. I don't know what they used, Buzz John. And it really don't matter because it said Jesus had a pillow. He had a place that He could lay His head. He had a place to rest. You know what you and I need? We need a pillow in Christ. We need a time, we need a place that we can go to and lay our head down there and say, you know what? I remember that day. I remember that night. You remember that night when the Lord saved your sister Libby? I mean, I know you do. We can go back there. Brother Leo, you remember laying up that hospital room while your head was on the pillow? And we just, we need that. You say, I don't remember the day. I don't remember the time. Surely, goodness, you remember the place. I remember the place. I do remember the place. They've rebuilt it. They've tore the old one down. They've rebuilt a new one over there. But I remember right where that place was at. But yes, and I'm telling you, every time I go by that place, I think about it. I'm thankful for it. I thank God that somebody says, let's have a revival. I'm thankful that somebody said, let's go to church. I'm glad that somebody said, let's have a Bible. Let's have a soul. Let's go to church. Let's meet with God. That's why this past week, this week here, we went down to Baldwin to the meeting down there a little bit. Brother Mark Stroud preached down there. And man, I'm telling you, God moved in there last night. It was just, you'd have had to have been there. You'd have had to have been there. It wasn't good. I said you had to have been there. You'd have had to have been there to understand it and enjoy it. There's a young couple, Brother Andrew and Sister Mary Beth, what's it, Jones. They'll be at our camp meeting this year. And I'm telling you, they're such a blessing. Wasn't that a blessing, Sister June? Oh my goodness. I mean, I mean, them folk right there just, I mean, just, he plays the guitar and she sings. And he tries to sing and help her, but he needs to stay with the guitar. And no, he done a good job. He done a good job. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. He done a good job. I'm telling you, that boy can play guitar unbelievable. Unbelievable. They were a blessing. And then the Powells is there singing. And then he's out singing together. It was such a sweet service. Literally, when Brother Mark got up there, he said, I don't think the Lord's done with y'all yet. He said, I've got messages. I've got messages. You know, that's a scary place. That's a scary place to be. If you ain't never been there, you'll never understand it. But whenever you're trying to discern what the Holy Ghost of God wants to do for the betterment of the church, for the opportunity, hear me good, hear me good, for the opportunity to worship. Can I slide this in there? When was the last time you worshiped? I'm not talking about worshiping like I worship. But when was the last time that you worshipped God? When was the last time that you took time out just to praise Him and to thank Him for His goodness? Let's say it like this maybe. For rescuing us before we ended up in hell. Can anybody remember before you got saved something that might have happened that you could have died? Anybody? One. Two. Something happened that you specifically remember. Could have happened and you could have died. And it ended up where? Can you remember Brother Glenn? Anybody else? Brother Tyler? Sister Kathy? Isn't that amazing, the goodness and the grace of God? I'm telling you, God has given us something to worship Him for. I could have been burning today. But God. But God. I said what I said was I could have been burning today with no hope of ever getting out. With no hope of ever seeing family. With no hope of ever getting comfort. I could have been burning today. But God. Even while I was a sinner. While I was a sinner. While I was heading to hell. God, I want you to know something. I love you. And this I'll do. Someone mentioned this and I hate it. We're living in an hour. Listen, we're living in an hour. If I got a gruesome story, you're sitting there waiting to tell yours. And yours is going to be worse. Y'all know, y'all, you've been around folk like that. As soon as they tell something, it's like, oh, you think that was bad? My kids was out in the yard yesterday, and the donkey come by and kicked one in the head. No way. Leave that boy alone. I mean, every story gets worse and worse. But somebody was talking earlier about what they do with them children over there. Are you listening? Have you seen it? what they're doing, it's horrible. It's horrible. Sister Carol will always let us know when she can't come for the runs, working late, or he's having a lot of problems with his knees. We need to pray for him. He's having a lot of problems with his knees. And if you ain't never had a knee problem, you won't understand that. When you get where you can't kneel down and you can't stand back up, then you'll say, man, thank God for good knees. She said, Ron showed me this and I have been weeping continually. Well, sure. It's called having a heart. If that happened to my children, my grandchildren, if it happened to your children, you'd be devastated. Well, well, you've got your pen out. You've got your pen out. Let me give you a verse. I want to give it to you one time. But I'm going to give it to you again. Isaiah chapter 53, verse number 3. We went over this not very long ago, didn't we, John? Talk about your Savior now. Can I talk about Him? Can I talk about Him? This, what's going on now, tears us up. But what I'm fixing to read to you don't tear us up no more. I'm working on a message, Buzz Jeff. We should pray one about this here. I'm working on a message, giving God the leftovers. Do you like leftovers? Now, a lot of people does. And we don't throw stuff away. We try to eat what we prepare. I don't want to be wasteful. And don't bother me. Don't bother me to go in there and get something. My microwave threw up the other day. Don't tell anybody, but it took us about 17 hours to put that thing in yesterday. That ain't nothing to laugh at, OK? I got feelings now. It was a test. It was a test. But we had Agent 99 on the job. Everything went pretty smooth with that. Oh, boy. We, uh, I mean, forgive what I'm saying right now. I jumped right, what was that? Leftovers, thank you. I like leftovers. I like them especially a lot better when that microwave works. You know what that microwave does? It heats them up. You know what that microwave does? It keeps me from having to eat it cold. I like sloppy joes. Am I the only one? You don't like them? You probably like tuna casserole, that's what you like. Tuna casserole. Spaghetti. My wife made some sloppy joes the other day. I went in there yesterday and looked in there. I said, I'm hungry before I leave. I need to buy something. And that Sloppy Joe mix was in the refrigerator. And I mean, you could take a big old tablespoon and just go, bonk, bonk, bonk, as hard as a rock. Well, maybe not quite as hard, but hard. I put it on a piece of bread and mashed it down best I could and folded it over. I went back in there and she said, what are you eating? I said, Sloppy Joe. Coal? I said, yeah. Microwave don't work. This is before we got it fixed. Before we got it fixed. She said, you could have heated it up on the stove. I'm thinking, that would have took a long time. Are you with me? Thank you. Then I'd have had to wash the frying pan. All I had to do was take one piece of bread, put that meat on there, and just say, it's cold, but I can handle it. It ain't no big deal. It ain't no big deal. You know what that microwave does? It heats up. You know, sometimes what you and I need for our heart, we need to get it microwaved. Because it's got cold. Now, I like leftovers, but I've seen people that throw pieces of steak away because they wouldn't eat leftovers. I've seen it. You know, sometimes, sometimes we just give God leftovers. Because it's all we've got left. I wonder how he likes them. This text right here. This text right here. Jesus in the boat. Helps present. You know what they probably thought, though, John? We're going the other side. Six miles the other side. Six miles. Jesus is safe. He's in our boat. We're experienced. Boatman. Jesus is safe. He's in our boat. We ain't got to worry about him going nowhere else. He's in our boat. Jesus is safe. Can I tell you the only ones as safe tonight as us? We in his boat. We're in his vote. The happiest day of my life. Happiest day. I'm not talking about fleshy stuff. I'm not talking about the first time I had a piece of hot apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top of it. I'm not talking about getting to go to the fair and eating all that stuff that will send your sugar to 900. I'm not talking about getting married. I'm talking about the happiest day of my life. Joe Jenkins was the day. when I trusted Christ as my Savior. When He made Himself available and I got in the boat. Now, if He says, let's go to the other side, I say, I ain't driving. Take me where you want to go. I ain't driving. I know where He takes me. I'll be safe. Well, nothing bad going to happen to Him. Isaiah 53, I didn't give it to you. Verse 3 says He's despised, and He's rejected. The Bible says He's a man of sorrow, and He is acquainted with grief. You know, we've heard that so many times, it don't even mean nothing no more. You read that whole chapter of Isaiah, chapter 53. There is so much heartache in that chapter right there. We've read it so many times. But you let somebody... We've been... I'll be honest with you. Praying for a little girl. Laura's... What's the baby's name? I think everybody probably knows about that. Man, don't stop. Don't stop. That little girl needs some help. We've been praying for a lady in our church. Don't stop. We want God. We want to see God. I want to see God. himself do this. I'm done. And I wish everybody felt like that. Everybody. We can. We don't have to be empty. We don't have to be bitter. Jesus said, let's go to the side. We're going. Lord and God, we're going. Some of us might go sooner than some of y'all. But we're going. No wonder. No wonder everybody will be happy over there. Because we're going. That was only six miles off where we're going. It ain't even a mile away. When the Lord starts driving, you get in Him, we're going. We're going. Let's all stand together.