I'll read to you again from Mark's Gospel, Mark chapter 6, beginning at verse 30. And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus and told him all things. both what they had done and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. My topic this evening is deepening faith. deepening faith and how, just to draw out some lessons from this passage and hopefully we'll be able to get through most of it, how the Lord used experiences to deepen the faith of his disciples. and the disciples of course, those twelve who he had gathered around him, once he was gone, once he was returned back to heaven and to glory, he would leave the work in their hands. They would have to continue to preach the Gospel to the nations. They would have to endure much suffering. They would have to endure much difficulties and troubles and He wouldn't be by their side as it were to protect them. Although of course He was there with them in spirit and He was there with them but they wouldn't be able to see Him. So He is training them, he's preparing them for that future time, when they will go through those things. He doesn't just immediately throw them into the deep end, as we say. but he prepares them and in this chapter I think one of the things that he's doing, of course the Lord, whenever he does anything there are many lessons you can learn from it, but one of the things he's doing is strengthening their faith in him, in Christ, as their Lord and Master, so that when they experience those trials, when they experience those difficulties, they will remember what Jesus taught them, and they won't sink themselves in those trials, they won't depart from Him, but they will stay true. And it's also the same for us. The Lord is, if we are His people, His children, He's training you. When you come to faith in Jesus Christ, that's only the beginning. He doesn't leave you there but he wants to make your faith grow like a plant that grows and become stronger and stronger. And he does it in one way that he does it, yes he teaches us through the word and we have the promises that we can lean on and depend on but he also teaches us through the experiences of life. to depend on him, to trust in him, and maybe he's preparing you for something more useful in the future, but he won't thrust you into that work immediately, but he will prepare you step by step and train you and deepen your faith as well, so that when you're put into a more difficult, a more challenging situation, You won't sink. You will be able to face those situations because you know him. You know how he has dealt with you in the past. You know how he has come to your rescue in the past. How he has heard your prayers in the past. You'll have a whole plethora of experiences behind you that you can draw from to give you strength to persevere in a difficult work. or to bear with trials and troubles that may come in life or in a church. So I think this is something that the Lord paid a lot of attention to in, and some of the things that he did here were to bring, to deepen the faith of his disciples. Anyway, we start off in verse 30, the disciples had just come back from a ministry. They've been out into the cities and the towns of Israel and they've just come back from their mission trip and of course they have been very tired. And the Lord very kindly says to them, let's go aside, let's rest a while. He knew that they needed to have some rest. He knew that Even as men, they couldn't keep going on and on and on. They needed time to recover. They needed time to regain their strength and then continue. And so he says to them in verse 30, 31, Let's go apart into a desert place and rest a while. There were many people coming and going. It was also the time of the Passover, so there were thousands in the land at that time. people coming backward and forward, even though now they are here in the north part of Israel, in Galilee. So the Lord, there were people making their way down to Jerusalem by the hundreds, maybe by the thousands, and they were of course resorting to Christ. and to try and get a hold of him and spend time hearing his word and bring their sick to him. But the Lord says, let's go apart and rest a while. And they take the boat, in verse 32, they take the boat into a desert place by ship privately. So they went They're headed in this boat to the northeast, sorry, yeah northeast, north part of Galilee, the Lake of Galilee, and to a place called Bethsaida. There are two Bethsaidas as you will see on their return journey, they make a trip to the other Bethsaida on the west side of the Lake of Galilee, but here they're heading They're on the west side now, they're going to head up to the north part of the Lake of Galilee into this desert place. But it wasn't really a desert place like we may think, where there is no people. There were fewer people and it was an ideal place to get away from the crowds, but not really a desert place. So they get into the boat and they head in that direction. But as they're making their way into the boat, somebody seems to hear where they're heading to. And so the people who had been on the seashore, they hear where Jesus is going and they start making their way around the coastline to that place on the north side where the disciples and the boat is heading. And as they are actually going along, other people along the way, other towns, they see the people running, running to this place. And they also join in. And they also start joining this crowd and running together to this place, Betseda. And so when the disciples arrive in the boat, looking forward to a nice time of rest and refreshment, a time away from the crowds which have been gathering around them, what do they see? The very same kind of crowd they left behind there on the previous seashore. So how would you feel if you're going away on holiday? and you're trying to get away and suddenly you see, you're one of these disciples, you see a great crowd again come before you. I'm sure their hearts, naturally speaking, must have sunk. Oh no, we thought we were going to have a rest, but here we see these crowds again. But Jesus didn't think like that. Jesus was thinking about the people and in verse 34 we read when Jesus came out and he saw much people while he was moved with compassion towards them because they were as sheep not having a shepherd and he began to teach them many things he felt for the people Even though he himself was extremely tired, even though he himself could have done with the rest, yet the sight of people who needed teaching, who needed instruction, who needed to know about the way of salvation and the Kingdom of God moved him. They were lost, they were perishing. and they needed help. And so he begins to teach them many things. Sheep without a shepherd, they're in danger. They're open to attack from wild animals. So Jesus fell for them. And these poor sheep, even as we said this morning, think of the teaching they would have had. It's not like yourselves, maybe you come to the church every day, or every week rather, and you can get good teaching. But they had been exposed to teaching which was all about rules and regulations and a lot of don'ts. Don't do this, don't do that, don't do that, you can only do this on the Sabbath day, you can only do that on the Sabbath day. They went extreme with their Sabbath day rules and made the Sabbath day a burden to people. instead of a joy. But here was this man, here was Christ, teaching them differently, teaching them in an interesting and wonderful way, in a very helpful way, and it wasn't burdensome to them, so they loved to hear what he had to say. But I just draw one or two lessons from this, and the very first thing is, how do we react with interruptions. If you've planned to do something, you set aside your time to do something and then the phone rings or somebody asks you for help. Somebody calls on you to visit them or wants to speak to you and it ends up a long conversation. How do you feel? Do we feel impatient and wanting to get back on with our stuff? Or are we willing to take the time to help that person? It's an interruption, isn't it? We don't want it. Our time we feel is precious. But the ministry, as Christians, as pastors or preachers or individual Christians, sometimes people call on us for help. we should be prepared to accommodate them, to bear with these interruptions. I heard of a church member, she was telling me that at one point her father or husband, I cannot remember exactly, passed away. I think it was her husband actually who had passed away. And the pastor said to her, sorry, I cannot do the funeral because I'm on holiday next week. And well, that was such a shock. How can you say that? How can a pastor make that kind of an excuse because his holiday was being interrupted? And so unlike the Lord Jesus here, well it's something that we have to deal with and to learn if we are going to be involved in the Lord's work. but also see how the Lord cared for people. And the great lesson that we can learn and maybe need to learn and relearn again and again is to be concerned for people and care for people. Doctors are very good, they're very usually very gentle in the way they deal with people and they seem to show very genuine care in their welfare, their well-being and the health of their patients and a genuine desire to see them recover. And each one of us as Christians should have a genuine concern for people's souls and a genuine desire to help people and to have compassion on them, to feel for them. We're living in a technology age which is advancing and has advanced by tremendous degrees. Are we losing out on that human touch? Are we becoming less compassionate because of technology, because we become a bit numb to one another and what people are going through in life? We need to also recover something of this compassion and if we feel for people that that will help us when we are praying for people, that will help us when we are ministering to people, seeking to minister to people. People will realize, oh this person, oh they really do care for me. They're not just speaking to me, they're really interested in me and my welfare, my spiritual welfare. And so we have to be like the Lord Jesus even in this situation. After this incident, it's in verse 35, we read, the day was now far spent. And his disciples came unto him and said, this is a desert place, and now the time is far past. Send them away, that they may go into the country roundabout and into the villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. So it's about three o'clock in the afternoon, and Jesus has already been speaking for a long time. He's been preaching for a while. The disciples, they're not trying to get rid of the people so that they can have a break, but they seem to have a genuine care as well in saying, well there's nowhere around this place to buy food and these people really will need food, else they may also faint. So send them into the local farms, let them go into those villages, let them buy themselves bread. And the Lord says this amazing thing to them. He says in verse 37, give ye them to eat. I would have liked to have seen the disciples' face at that time when he said that. You give them food to eat. It's not just 10 or 20, there are thousands of people who read later on that there were 5,000 men, and of course that doesn't include the women and the children who were also there. So more likely there were about 10,000 at least who were gathered to hear him, to be with him. And the Lord's saying, give ye them to eat, you feed them. Well, it's an impossible task, isn't it? And they said unto him, shall we go and buy 200 penny worth of bread and give them to eat? Why 200 penny worth? Well, some commentators think it's because that's all they had in the bag, in their collection money, 200 penny worth of bread. But even that wasn't sufficient to feed them. The Lord said, verse 38, how many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they knew, they said five and two fishes. And even those loaves that they had that were given to them, we learned from John's Gospel, the loaves were actually barley loaves, they weren't wheat loaves, they were barley loaves which Barley loaves were what the poor people had. They couldn't afford the wheat loaves, so they had to do with barley loaves. And here were these five barley loaves and the two fishes. And these are the only things that are given to Christ. But why does he ask them that question? Why does the Lord say to them, give ye them to eat? He knows full well they cannot provide for all these thousands, and so also it's a challenge to them, but also because He wants them to realise that what they cannot do, He is able to do. What they are unable by themselves, by their own ability and strength to do, He is able to accomplish. That they themselves are weak, the task is difficult, the task is not difficult, for them it's impossible. but they're going to see how He is going to do the impossible thing. And so He tests them, He challenges them. And sometimes the Lord may also ask you to do something. Maybe He may ask you to do something you may think is beyond your ability. And you say, no Lord, I can't do it. I haven't got the ability to do that. I can't go out on the streets and witness to people and speak to people. I haven't got that. How do you know? Maybe the Lord says, go, talk to people. But when we feel that we don't have sufficiency, which is a good feeling to have, Then he says, look to me, I will provide. Look to me, I will deal with the issue, I will provide for you. And so the groups, in verse 39, the Lord commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass, and they sat down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties. probably the way that they sat is maybe like in a u-shape and just like they used to sit when they were in their homes in a u-shape and people it would be very easy made when the disciples were given the bread and the fish they could very easily go in and out of this these groups of people distributing the bread and the fish and verse 41 when when the lord had taken the five loaves and two fishes. He looked up to heaven and blessed and breaked the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fishes divided he among them all." And this is a very interesting miracle that the Lord did. In the Greek, it doesn't come out in English, but in the Greek, the word break is in the singular. So he had the bread in his hands and as it were he broke it, but it's in the singular just once. and he gave them to his disciples, which is in the plural. He kept on giving the bread to his disciples. He broke it just once, so it was as if the bread is multiplying in his hands as he is distributing it. He breaks it and gives to disciples. They collect, he gives more, he gives, he gives, he keeps giving. broken once but distributed, given many times and miraculously by His own power. multiplying in his hands the bread and the fish and the food is divided amongst them all and all of them did eat. Everyone had enough to eat. No one said to the neighbour, don't have too much, there's not enough to go around. There was enough for everyone. there was enough for these thousands of people. Everyone was satisfied and even more so, there was food left over. So what lessons can we draw from this miracle? Well of course we can talk about giving thanks, we can talk about the Lord as God, the Creator who feeds every living thing. He opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145 verse 16. When He made the world, He made the world out of nothing. Out of nothing. He is the first cause of everything. I was talking yesterday to a man and he was, I asked him the question, well he said, there is no God. He told me, grow up, there is no God. I said to him, well, if you deny God, you're denying our existence, because where do we come from? Somebody made you, somebody made this building, he said, oh my parents made me, the builder made the building, yeah, but who made your parents? And it goes back and back and back. Still they cannot give you the first cause, and they don't want to tell you, you'll go back to the big bang. but the Big Bang is still made up of atoms coming together. Where did those atoms come from? Nothing can never produce something. So that first cause must be somebody who is outside time, must be a being who is eternal, who is uncreated. It must be God who has put these things into motion. So God, Christ, the Creator, out of nothing, spoke this world into existence. The One who gives us life and also sustains us. This was not difficult for Him to do, to feed so many thousands of people. And I'm sure when the disciples, they must have grasp something of it as this miracle. If not now, certainly later they would have realised, well the Lord took just such a small amount of food and through it fed thousands, not just to feed the hungry but to demonstrate to them His power, His miraculous power, His wonder-working power, His ability to do the supernatural. And that would have strengthened them, I'm sure, enormously and deepened their conviction in them. It gave them greater confidence in who Jesus Christ is. In the time even when people were doubting Him and questioning Him, who is He? They would have seen what He did and been sure and persuaded of Him. And so also the Lord gives us many experiences of Him. so that we can be sure and persuaded and not easily tossed to and fro by what other people are saying or new things that come into our thinking or come across our way. We're not swayed by those things because we know whom we have believed. We've had many answers to prayer. We've had provision given to us. We've had comfort at the very necessary time. We've seen the Lord working in our lives and changing circumstances, changing people in answer to prayer and that strengthens our faith and deepens our conviction about Christ and who He is. And so, I believe this is one of the reasons as well why the Lord did this miracle to help His disciples and us to be more sure about Himself. Well, after the Lord sends away the people, He also, verse 45, tells his disciples, constrains his disciples to get into the ship, to go to the other side, to the other Bethsaida, back on the west side, while he sent away the people. And then he goes up into a mountain to pray. And about six o'clock, when even has come, the ship which is on this lake, and this lake is notorious for winds and storms. The Lord sees the disciples in the middle of the lake, toiling in rain, for the wind was contrary unto them. But he doesn't go unto them immediately. it's 6 o'clock but he waits and he waits until the fourth watch which is somewhere between 3 o'clock and 6 a.m. the following morning and then he goes to them. The Lord doesn't always come to our aid. The Lord doesn't immediately come to our aid. Sometimes we have to wait. Sometimes he allows us to go in difficult times for a period of time. We want to escape the storms immediately. But sometimes the Lord leaves us in it for a purpose because even as he left these disciples in it for a purpose, to teach them, so also he does the same with us. And when they, in verse 48, and he saw them toiling and roiling, 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. I used to think that that meant Jesus would, was going to bypass them. and leave them in the boat still toiling and rowing. But I don't think that's what's happening here. The Lord instead is drawing near to them, he's passing not far away from them and bypassing them but he's drawing alongside them, he's coming by the boat. It's unlikely that the Lord would ever do such a thing as that. Bypass His disciples who are in trouble. No, the Lord would never do such a thing. But He wants to be with His disciples. He wants to get beside His disciples to be with them, not to bypass them. And He could have in a moment just spoken a word. and the winds which were rocking the boat and the waves which were very high, just through a word the Lord could have stilled that storm, but he didn't do that. He could have made the ship arrive immediately at the shore, but he didn't do that. Instead he chooses to walk on the water, to go to his disciples in the middle of the storm. He's going to get wet. He's going to get soaked. He's going to get drenched in his clothes and his hair. Everything is drenched. Not like in some of the pictures you see about this event. You see Jesus walking underwater. His clothes are all dry. His hair is all dry. As if he never touched in the water. But no, he was drenched. But he didn't mind getting so wet. because he was going to help his disciples and very soon he was going to Calvary. He was going to go through something much bigger storm, a worse storm than just getting wet. He was going to go through pain and agony for His disciples to make a way of salvation for them and for us. And so this is nothing to Him, to walk on the water. And as He walks on the water, the water is like cement. It's like a hard stone, hard pavement to Him. It's easy for Him to walk on the water. And so He walks. to them and as when they see him they thought they'd seen a spirit and they cry out but in verse 50 when they were all troubled the Lord says to them be of good cheer it is I be not afraid and he went up unto them into the ship and and the wind ceased and they were so amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered. And here we, you know, the result of the Lord's action, this is what He desires, this is what He wants for His people that they are so amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered at what a Saviour, what a Master we have in our boat, what a gracious, what an awesome God we have. And it's something for us to consider often. We sometimes forget what an awesome Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ is. Nothing is difficult for Him to do. And He desires, it's not only to teach us we can cry to Him in trouble. but more to show his majesty, his glory, his transcendence and to bring us to a sense of wonder and love for him on whose side we are. They worshipped him and in Matthew chapter 14 in the same passage in verse 33, those who were in the ship came and said to him of a truth Thou art the Son of God. They all got into the boat with them and very soon they were at the shore and in that place of safety. But again, we see another demonstration, another experience given to the disciples to strengthen them, to help them, to know that whatever trouble they may face, The Lord Jesus Christ is with them and will help them and will come to their aid. And they need not despair. They must have been perishing. They must have thought they would perish. They must have thought, you know, maybe we're going to die. The things were so bad. But at that time the Lord came to them and we should never despair to think a situation is beyond the reach of Christ. And especially if you're working for Him, you're doing something for Him, for His work, for His glory. don't despair but keep on faithful to him and the Lord will come and work wonders also amongst us. And so he's preparing these disciples for their future work, for their future ministry. In verse 52, they considered not the miracle of the loaves for their heart, was hardened. They were considered that they didn't join together. They should have taken what happened with the feeding of the 5,000 and that miracle that Jesus did. They shouldn't have been so surprised that he came walking to them on water. But they hadn't joined these things together. They shouldn't have been so amazed, in a sense thinking that it's just a man who's doing this. They should have seen something of his deity in that feeding of the 5,000 that would have persuaded them that he could also do such a thing as this, walking on water. So once again, the Lord is deepening their conviction in him, deepening their assurance, deepening their faith in him, in spite of changing circumstances, in spite of trouble, in spite of difficulties, Faith is so necessary in him and instead of turning to other things, we should learn to depend on him. There was a young lady, a young girl, a young Christian girl and we were trying to help her spiritually and to encourage her to trust in the Lord. She was going through a number of problems and in her life, in her family life, and she just found it very hard to trust the Lord. She believed the Lord for salvation, but after that she found it hard to trust the Lord in everyday things of life. And she turned eventually to psychology and self-help books and found prayer and trust in God. Maybe I need something more than just that. But the Lord wants us to trust in Him. to wait for Him, to depend on Him, to show Him that we trust in Him. And that's why He gives us more and more of these experiences. If we go to the world for help, if we depend on the world for help, well that will displease the Lord. but also he will need to retrain you in that lesson again. If we don't learn the lesson the first time of trusting him, well we have to go through it again and maybe again until we do learn the lesson and are familiar with it and then he can take us on to another level, another level of faith. But it's this kind of training, friends, it's not for everyone. This was for His disciples, for those who take seriously their walk with God, for those who are really following Him. If we walk, if we as Christians walk in a careless manner, are unconcerned about pleasing the Lord, then we cannot expect the Lord to give us experiences like this which are strengthening us and building us up. We have to be serious Christians. serious about following the Lord Jesus Christ in whatever sphere he has put you. And then you can expect blessings, you can expect his help. Even today you can expect experiences of his power and of his love in your life. Well, in conclusion, I'll just remind us some of these lessons. Feel for people. Be prepared to go out of your way sometimes, even when it hurts, when your time is infringed upon. Remember this compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ and remember who He is. who you are serving, who is your master. It's not just anyone, it's not just any man. Have faith in Him and remember that He is training you in times of difficulty, in times of trouble, in times of pressure. The Lord Jesus Christ is deepening that faith in you and maybe like these disciples also, He has something more in store for you that He wants you to do. future work where you will be more useful for him and for his glory.