This morning we are turning in the Old Testament to the book of Jonah, to Jonah chapter 1. I'm going to pick up at verse 15 and then read through chapter 2, verse 10. And I assume you all are very familiar with the story of Jonah. how he was fleeing from the Lord and how he was out on a ship and there was a great storm. And then we pick up in verse 15, So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, I called out of my distress to the Lord, and he answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol. You heard my voice. For you had cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All your breakers and billows passed over me. So I said, I have been expelled from your sight. Nevertheless, I will look again toward your holy temple. Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me. Weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but you have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you into your holy temple. Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness. But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord.' Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land." Now we turn in the New Testament to Mark chapter 6. This morning we are looking at verses 45 through 52. Immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side to Bethsaida, while he himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, he left for the mountain to pray. When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea, and he intended to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and they cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke with them, and said to them, Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped, and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened. Let's ask God's blessing. Father, we thank you this morning for your word and what it shows us of Christ our Savior. Give us eyes to see and hearts to believe, for we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. I want to begin this morning by asking you to raise your hand if you are familiar with the story of Jesus walking on the water. Have you ever heard this before? Okay, thank you. It's really no surprise that we are all familiar with this account. Mark 6 verses 45-52 does not come as a surprise to any of us. And let me ask you once again to raise your hand if you have ever heard a sermon about Jesus walking on the water. Have you ever heard a sermon? Okay. If you were here during my series on Matthew or my series on John, you heard sermons there. And again, many of us have heard this story preached, were familiar with it. My little poll this morning is simply to establish what I assume to be true that this particular story is probably among the most familiar of any event in the life and ministry of our Savior. In fact, this event has even worked its way into popular language. When someone is doing something hard or impossible, they say, well, I can't walk on water. Where does that come from? This story. It is widely and well known. But what if I were to tell you that this passage is not just simply about Jesus' ability to tread on water without getting wet? What would you think if I said that Jesus' miraculous stroll across the waves is really not all that's going on here? Now, I am not denying that Jesus was able to walk on the sea without sinking. That certainly is a mighty miracle. And it is proven by the fact that Jonah, when he was thrown into the sea, sank like a rock. He went down, down, down, until that big fish came and swallowed him up. But what I am suggesting is that there is really much more happening in this passage than just one more display of the deity of Jesus. I think that this passage is really more about the disciples and Jesus' relationship to them. And that has an interesting connection to us since we too are his followers. So that leads us to ask, what does this encounter teach us about ourselves and about our own relationship to Christ? And that is a question of utmost importance. Do you know yourself? Do you see yourself not as you wish to be seen? Do you see yourself as you actually are? And do you see yourself in relation to the one who could walk on water? What is your relationship to Christ? And again, it's not just, have you ever heard the name of Jesus? We would all say yes, many times, since childhood I have known the name of Jesus. But what is your relationship to Jesus? And what does Jesus mean to you? And what is Jesus doing in your life these days? How do your circumstances connect with Jesus? And how is Jesus ordering your life circumstances to enrich your relationship to Him? Those are important things for us to ponder. So without denying that this is an amazing miracle, we want to dig deeper and say, what's really going on here? What is this passage mostly about? So I want to start by looking first at the directives of Jesus. Then we're going to witness a late night prayer vigil and finish with terror and comfort. The twelve disciples were not at the top of their game on that day in that desolate place. They had been working some long hours back home in Capernaum and were often so busy that they didn't even have time to eat. Jesus had wisely prescribed a much needed rest, and his disciples gladly complied with his good suggestion. The only problem, the only fly in the ointment, was the demanding crowd of needy people. They had raced along the lake shore in order to arrive at the dock before Jesus and his disciples showed up. Jesus looked upon them as sheep without a shepherd, but the disciples didn't necessarily share their Master's merciful assessment. Jesus had taught the crowd many wonderful things until it was late in the day Jesus' disciples felt compelled to interrupt their master to remind him of the time and the need for dinner. And that had led to the scenario where the disciples were tasked with feeding 5,000 hungry men. Jesus had miraculously turned five loaves of bread and two small fish into a filling feast for that large crowd. And this was undoubtedly Jesus' greatest miracle to date. But sadly, this amazing experience was mostly lost on the disciples, whose hearts were hardened. They really got nothing out of these events that evening. And now it was very late and the crowd seemed reluctant to disperse. At this point Jesus asserts his authority. He told his disciples to get into the boat and to head back across the lake to the other side. They were to go ahead of him to Bethsaida while he remained to dismiss the crowd. From John's account, we learn that this was not such an easy task as some in that crowd wished to make Jesus into a king who could drive the Romans out of Israel once and for all. But at Jesus' insistence, the disciples obediently got into the boat and pushed off out into the lake. Jesus then firmly dismissed the crowd and he sent them away. He would not be their political puppet, thank you, and he bid them farewell. Now in both respects Jesus shows himself to be the true master of the moment. He would not take no for an answer from his tired and somewhat frustrated disciples. They must do as He says, and that's all there is to it. How often do we push back against God's clear word and say, Lord, I don't want to do that. I'd rather not do that. It's like Peter when he says, No, Lord. Is he Lord? And if he is Lord, On what grounds would you tell him no? Why do you say, I won't do what you're telling me to? It is the nature of a disciple to be obedient to the Master. And Jesus, very graciously but very firmly says, here's what you're doing, now go do it, and there's no more discussion of it. Well, as for this crowd, he was simply not willing to let them sweep him up in their enthusiasm. He knew good and well that they were mostly, mainly happy because they had gotten a free meal. And who doesn't love a free meal? Their stomachs were full, and that is really all that they took away from the experience. His sending them off for the night was both strong and firm. He could tell them to go, and they too must obey." Now we should never suppose that Jesus' compassion and kindness flow from weakness. Because He is so generous, some might think He is a pushover Someone who is easy to manipulate and to control. But Jesus' grace always springs from His sovereign authority and His irresistible power. He has authority to command what He will and expect it to be obeyed as ordered because He is Lord. So after the crowd was dispersed and the disciples were off in the boat for Bethsaida, what then? What Jesus had in mind was a late night prayer vigil with his Father in heaven. Our Savior was ever a man of prayer, and he delighted more in those quiet times of fellowship in prayer than he did in the applause of the crowds. In this, the Lord Jesus Christ has much to teach us, his people. We are to be a people who engage in prayer in imitation of our Savior. J.C. Ryle makes this point. He says, Let our Lord's conduct in this respect be our example. We cannot work miracles as He did. In this He stands alone. But we can walk in His steps in the matter of private devotion. If we have the spirit of adoption, we can pray. Let us resolve to pray more than we have done hitherto. Let us strive to make time and place and opportunity for being alone with God. Above all, let us not only pray before we attempt to work for God, but pray also after our work is done. That's very plain, very clear, and very correct. We have to make time We have to choose the opportunity. We need to have a plan so that our prayer life doesn't shrivel up and die. And that plan can be as simple as saying, when I get up in the morning and go down and get my cup of coffee, I'm going to spend some time in prayer and reading the Bible before I start my day. Or maybe if you're a night owl, you say, I'm going to just set an alarm that at 1130 every night, I'm going to break off whatever I'm doing, and I'm going to spend some time with the Lord. I'm going to go to a place where I can pray to Him and meditate upon His Word. If you don't have a plan, it's probably not going to happen. Many, many times during our family visits, we have asked the question, how is your prayer life? The elders might correct me if I'm wrong in this, but I don't believe I've ever heard anyone in this church say, Pastor, I'm praying too much. It's simply become overwhelming. I'm just praying my life away. All of you, in humble honesty, have said, I could be doing more. I could be praying more. Now, we're not all Don Schwernerthauer, but we can all take time to pray. And you need to start somewhere with just maybe a small sliver of time and say, well, you know, if this was important to Jesus, and if I'm a follower of Jesus, then I should do this. No, I can't do miracles. I can't feed 5,000. I can't walk on water. But I can have times of private fellowship with the Father in prayer. And I would just challenge you to really take a good, hard, honest look at your prayer life and see how it is. And see if you can make some adjustments to your daily schedule. Some time to be alone with God in prayer. In addition to fellowship with his Heavenly Father, Jesus was also interceding for the saints. When he had sent his disciples off in the boat, he sent them knowingly into the teeth of a storm. While he was on land, and they were toiling at the oars, He saw them straining, for the wind was against them. They were sailing directly into the wind, and the wind was getting the better of the situation. This continued for hours, and they made very slow and gradual progress toward the other shore. They were only about halfway across the lake. Now put yourself into the disciples' sandals for just a second. They had been tired when they started this journey, and then they had endured that long and frustrating day which ended up with them playing waiter to 5,000 hungry people. As they went around and picked up the scraps into the baskets, These men were physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally exhausted. Their hearts were hardened. And when Jesus sent them off in the boat to head for home, it might have seemed to them that the worst was over, until the wind picked up and it blew straight into their faces, slowing their progress to a crawl. Such circumstances would be difficult even for a seasoned sailor as some of them were. Through it all, Jesus prayed. He prayed for them. He knew what they were going through, for he himself had ordered it. And as they battled against the winds and the waves, he interceded for them in their weakness and their weariness." So here is a truth that holds for all men of all ages. God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. Nothing in this world happens by chance or apart from the will of God in heaven. While Jesus could have easily commanded the winds and the waves to cease, he instead gave his disciples a headwind. He could even have ordained a tailwind, and that would have been appreciated. But no, he gave them a headwind. That was his doing. And he prayed for them. We know that everything that we experience in this world comes from God's hand. And we also are certain that our heavenly High Priest ever lives to intercede for us even in the midst of the storms of life. So this is a twin truth. Why is there a storm? God planned it. Jesus ordained it. And what's he doing? He's praying. He's praying for them. He's interceding as they strain and struggle against the wind. Well, after they had struggled for a very long while, making precious little progress, Jesus did the most comforting thing that he could do. He went out to them. In the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea, and that was as simple to him as strolling across a grassy field or hiking down a trail from a mountain. He walked on the surface of the water, defying the normal physical characteristics of H2O. There is such a thing as surface tension on water, but surface tension was not strong enough to support the weight of a full-grown human being. Obviously, Jesus did a miracle here, going against the normal laws of nature as they are sometimes called. Jesus temporarily suspended the normal physical laws which govern water and he walked on the waves without sinking into the waves. Now Matthew tells us that Peter did the same momentarily at least. The one who made all things, the one who sustains and upholds all things may also command water to support his weight and Peter's weight. And when he commands Those molecules have no choice but to obey their master, the master of wind and wave. I said just a moment ago that going out to them was the most comforting thing that Jesus could do, and I stand by that since His presence is always a comfort for His people. But we also recognize that his disciples didn't take his presence that night in that way, at least at first. And as he walked on the sea, he intended to pass them by, as if he was headed for some other place than the boat itself. They looked out, And they saw him walking on the sea, and they immediately jumped to a conclusion. He was a ghost. They all saw him, and they all cried out, for they were all terrified. Jesus scares the wits out of them. Now before we're too quick to condemn these men as cowards, How would you react if you were out in a boat at night and you looked across the waves and you saw someone walking on top of the waves? How would you respond? Would we just act normal and say, oh, there's someone walking on the waves. It's an everyday occurrence. If I've seen it once, I've seen it a thousand times. No, we would be terrified by the sight. And who wouldn't? Of course they're terrified. But you see, this was part of Jesus' purpose here. He wanted to draw out their fears and to expose their terror. He wanted to deal with this by bringing it out into the open. These men were a mess. Tired, frustrated, hard-hearted, exhausted by the wind, and now terrified by a ghost. That was their true condition, no matter how they might have tried to cover it for appearances. He intentionally terrified them, but then he immediately spoke to them these words of comfort Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid." And then he got into the boat with them and immediately the wind stopped. John in his parallel passage adds that immediately they were at their destination. So again, put yourself in their soggy sandals. Here they are in the middle of the lake and as soon as Jesus is in the boat, that wind that had been blowing them off course just completely stops. And they look around and they're in the harbor. How did they get there? They were just in the But now the wind is gone and they're home. And this is how Jesus is dealing with them, helping them. Their response to all this was utter astonishment. Like men who wake up from a bad dream to find out that everything is still okay. All is well. After all that they had been through over the past 24 hours, this was the very best end to a very taxing day. To find out that their journey was now over, that they had safely reached the other shore, left them at ease and in complete peace. My dear friends, this passage illuminates our lives in so many ways. The troubles and struggles that we encounter are not outside of God's sovereign plan for us. Maybe it's sickness. Maybe it's the loss of a loved one. Maybe it's financial difficulties. Maybe it's relational struggles. Maybe it's some sin that we wrestle against and just never seem to completely conquer. There's a myriad of troubles and struggles that this life will give us, and they all come from the hand of God. Job teaches us, that we should not only expect and accept good things from God, but even difficult things. Job lost much of his property and all ten of his children. Literally overnight it was all gone, swept away through the malice of Satan. And then he lost his health. And he's laying there, scraping the boils on his skin with a potsherd. And his wife is saying, Job, curse God and die. And Job can still say, this has come from God. Everything we encounter in life comes from the hand of God. And you can personally individualize that for yourself. Whatever you're experiencing right now, whether it's good or bad, whether it's easy or hard, whether you understand it or you're just perplexed by it, it's just all from God's hand. And as God works out His sovereign will in our lives, we realize that He is the one who ordains the storms of life. He has sent this headwind to slow our progress. But whatever He has ordained for us is always balanced out by Christ's continual intercession for us. So as we struggle, Christ prays. He intercedes with the Father. as does also the Holy Spirit. And so you have God the Son and God the Spirit interceding with God the Father on behalf of us as we strain and struggle through life. Now, honestly, sometimes it feels like we're all alone, doesn't it? It feels like God is very far away. Maybe He's forgotten us. Maybe He's busy. Maybe He's got more important fish to fry. And He just doesn't care about me. But that's not true. That is not ever true. Because God who has ordained whatever you're encountering in life is hearing the intercession of the Son and the Spirit on your behalf. And as the Father receives the intercession of the Son and the Spirit, it's not like some union negotiating session where the two sides are warring against each other, each trying to get the better of the other side. It's not as if the Father is saying, well, you're not going to get much out of me. I know you like these folk, but I'm not going to give. No, the Father is as willing or even more willing to grant what the Son and the Spirit ask for on our behalf. And so they really work together as a well-oiled machine, as a perfectly united team in saying, how can we do good for these poor, struggling, suffering people? And you know, it's easy to lose sight of that second component because sometimes the storms of life seem overwhelming. It just seems like it's too much. We can't bear it. We can't take it anymore. And we just say, why has God done this to me? Without remembering, oh, Christ is also interceding for me on my behalf. And I would suggest to you that as difficult and challenging as that storm was to those disciples, the intercession of Christ was so much greater, so much more powerful. This was not a 50-50 situation that could end one of two ways. Either they sink to the bottom and die, or they somehow survive. With Christ interceding for them, there was no doubt that they would survive. And they would benefit from this. You look at these disciples and where they were at prior to Jesus going out and terrifying them on the sea, and you see, well, they needed help. And he gives them help. What Jesus really does here is nothing short of genius. He knows their true state of mind, their true state of heart. And He provokes the situation, and then He brings their fears out into the open for them to see and to acknowledge. And He speaks to them words of pure comfort. He says, Take courage. Take courage from Me, your Lord. I can give you courage if you would simply receive what I offer." Then he says, it is I. Now this is not far from that divine name, I am who I am. I am He, I am. Your great God is now with you. I have come to you and I will be with you. I will not leave you. I will not forsake you." And then again he commands them, do not be afraid. Banish your fears. Put them away. Do not let your fears control your life. Do not live by fear, but walk instead by faith. Faith in me, your Lord and your Master. And you see, that's the comfort that we need. We're struggling through life. We're dealing with the difficulties of life. We know that Christ is interceding for us. And then we hear His words, take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid. And this is what we need to cling to. This is what we need to embrace. We need to receive the courage he offers, we need to know his presence, and we need to banish our fears. That doesn't mean that life is going to instantly get easy and be much better from here on. These disciples will face new and different challenges. But through it all, this is the same thing. Christ is governing these events for them and for their good. They just need to trust Him and we need to trust Him as well. I don't know what's going on in your personal private life right now. I don't know what's maybe gnawing at your heart or troubling you or In that case, delighting you and pleasing you. I don't know these things. But in the midst of whatever you're experiencing, the Lord Jesus comes to you and He says the same thing. Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid. I go with you and I will be with you. and I won't forsake you. Let's pray. Lord, we thank You for Your goodness, Your faithfulness, Your kind, loving care of us. That even though You have ordained difficult things in this life, You also come to us in our weakness and our weariness, and You help us. Lord, help us to take courage to look to You and not be afraid, to follow You in faith. For we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.