Struggling to Obey (Part A)

You know that it was just his teaching that the multitudes might come out for a while, but they would not last that John the Baptist did numerical multitudes came out to hear John John's ministry only went so far and he knew that prayer would not fix everything. Something that I know, but I'm still not learning as fast as I want to learn because I still think prayer should fix everything.

I get so frustrated. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the gospel of Mark chapter 6 as he begins his message struggling to obey Mark's gospel chapter 6 we are going to discuss this morning, struggling to obey well that just got everybody out hopefully involved because all who name Christ as Lord do struggle. That's why is the verse.

It's been coming up. I think the last three times I've been in the pulpit is out of Titus they profess to know God, but in works they deny him. They say they love the Lord, but really they have no intention of agreeing with him. They want the salvation but they do not want the struggle they do. They want the blessings with they do not want the interference of Christ and these things thereafter. If you think that way you hurting yourself.

It is, it is through the glory of our faith is to line up with Jesus Christ. Everything that he says regardless of how difficult unpleasant it may be, and we all know this and that's why we applaud the martyrs who go to their death and many times an awful death because they will not walk away from what Christ is said what he is spoken so brief review.

All we have to be the word want to miss that beginning at verse 45 immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to bedside a while. He sent the multitude away when he had sent them away. He departed to the mountain to pray and when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land.

Then he saw them straining at rowing for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea and would have passed them by. When they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out for they all saw him and were troubled.

But immediately he talked with them and said to them, be of good cheer.

It is, I do not be afraid. Then he went up into the boat to them and the wind ceased and they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled for they had not understood about the loaves because there are was hard. Then they had crossed over when their crossover. They came to the land of Nazareth and anchored there and when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him ran through that whole surrounding region and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard he was wherever he entered, into villages, cities or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that he might just touch that they might just touch the hem of his garment.

And as many as touched him were made well.

We have been watching the story Marcus preserved for us from chapter 5 for example, we watch the apostles tossed in the storm and of course the Lord saying to us today from these events that there are troubles and there are dangers, but I am Lord over these also continuing to watch him in action. We saw him faced with the maniac there. He faced with insanity. Of course he overcame that cast out the demons and continue to minister where he was permitted to minister then we watched his solutions as he dealt with disease and death. We watched them be rejected in his hometown.

We learn in life what it's like to be disliked when even when we've not done anything to deserve being disliked.

We watched him grieve just for a moment when news of John's murder had reached him, reached him, and then the hand of sovereignty as he multiplied the fish and the bread is interesting miracle that was because he multiplied big fish in a baked bread and cooked fish.

I mean is just these little things that stand out about the sovereignty and the power of Jesus Christ. It is supposed to encourage us to be strong, strong in our faith, even though when we have the sinful nature that works against everything that is holy and right but again the story now calls on me to ask myself as I am faced with the record of how would I perform.

What does this have to do with me today. Why am I reading this story in Mark chapter 6 and hoping that God will speak to me through a well let's see if we find out. Look again at verse 45 and we covered this in the last session, but it belongs in both both paragraphs immediately. Verse 45. He made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to bedside while he sent the multitude away. So just again a little more review after he had fed the people there where they were. They were at Beth's side of the house of the of the fish of fishing village there on the Lake of Galilee after he fed them.

They wanted to make him their king forced him to be their king. They had the golden goose and they weren't ready to let it go. They did not want to crown him for his holiness. That is his person or his teachings but it was the goodies that he offered. That's what attracted a certain element in that multitude of upward 15,000 people. John tells us this in the sixth chapter of his gospel. Then those men when they had seen the sign that Jesus did said this is truly the Prophet who is coming to the world.

Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king departed again to the mountain by himself alone. That is, of course, the parallel account that is given to us in the Gospel of John.

No interest in submitting to him: how can you submit your King is someone you're supposed to submit to.

How can you force somebody to be a game it it contradicts, and yet we have many even Christians that insist that Jesus is their king, but they really are not interested in obeying the things they don't like want to cherry pick the commandments a very dangerous practice. And so, again, looking at how Jesus dealt with satanic influence. That was contrary to God even found in one of his beloved apostles, he said to Peter when Peter was, not looking, it did not submitting to Christ not looking beyond this life, and he said being far from you that you should go to the cross. Not understanding that it is that cross that would bring about our forgiveness and our time in paradise without in Mark chapter 8. Jesus responded to Peter's words and said get behind me Satan you are not mindful of the things God of the things of men. Of course, the Lord always looking at the father always interested in what God wants see being God the son, but Satan doesn't care for men when he says Satan is mindful of the things of many doesn't mean Satan cares for men aiming Satan wants to get the eyes of people off of God and onto things that they can see so they can live more and that Esau type of way. What good is a blessing when I'm hungry spiritual things are secondary to Esau, but they were by primary to Jacob and they are supposed to be this way with us where he says here in verse 35 to the other side to bedside.

Luke tells us they were in bedside. So how could he send them from where they were welcome to two answers that the lesser one that I don't care for this one too much, but it is possible they were to bedside us. Many scholars agree with that.

That's fine and that's not uncommon and so you sending them from one to the other because the name again house of the fishes in a fishing village type town not not far-fetched, but what is really I think what really reconciles the verses dramatically. The Greek allows it to be translated this way to go to the other side from Beth's side, so he says to the other side of Beth's side where he sending them know we think linearly in this way, that if there standing in the north and he says go to the other side, we must mean the sending them to the South or freestanding in the West and he says to the other side. It must be the East with that is not at all what is happening in the split will bring some of that out in a moment when he says go to the other side of the societies talking about where they came from the Capernaum area which was his base of operations. They will not land directly there, but the going to go in that direction. John's gospel chapter 6 verse 17 again parallel verse they got into the boat and went over the seed toward Capernaum and it was already dark and Jesus had not come to them.

Now the Capernaum part is what I wanted but I wanted to continue to read that part of this verse that spoke that's giving us the environment, he sending them away. The sun is setting, historic there on the sea they got about a 6 mile journey to get from that side of two. The area of the Capernaum good measure it with her going the land and John of course adding Jesus had not come so the scene is set. It's dark there without Christ and the boat. That's what we're looking at this morning. Verse 46 and when he had sent them away. He departed to the mountain to pray. Jesus prayed every chance he got.

They took the chance to pray whenever he could. Is this the one that would later cry out my God my God why have you forsaken me on this is big news to me.

We see him often. You know, getting away from the multitudes and and just praying and here he says to his disciples listen. Satan is influencing this. I'm not the golden goose and what you meant out of your get in the boat go to the other side and then he goes to pray he knew that with without the many miracles that be far less interested in him.

He knew that all the time.

He knew that it was just his teaching within the multitudes by come out for a while, but they would not last that John the Baptist did no miracles and multitudes came out to hear John with John's ministry only went so far and he knew that prayer would not fix everything.

Something that I know, but I'm still not learning as fast as I want to learn because I still think prayer should fix everything. I get so frustrated when prayer seems to be on granted on matters that are of great importance. John's gospel chapter 17 Jesus said to his father in prayer while I was with them in the world. I kept them in your name those whom you gave me.

I have kept and none of them is lost except the son of perdition where we have no reason to doubt he also prayed for Judas I I am of the mind that when he picked Judas Judas was not the man he would end up being. Although the Lord knew he would be Judas at every chance to do the right thing.

Anything other than that the new charge, God would sovereignly deciding that Judas should be born just to go to hell and that is not free will and I believe in free will and I not for one second. Do I believe that even though the father knew it does not mean he caused it. And so here Lord. Praying all the time, yet also at one point in his ministry saying to us as much prayer as much service as much dying as you do for the father.

There will be those times of great perplexity when you want to cry out to God, why have you forsaken me and we can answer why he was saying because he took our sin upon himself. He bore our judgment for us and he was preaching to us he was saying even though I'm bearing your judgment on me.

I am still calling on my father with profound there on the cross, he is still praying words that he prayed meant so much not to him, but also to the father so we know that the one who walks on the water, who raises the dead who stop the diseases created the cooked fish in the baked bread. We know that to him hour on granted prayers are very meaningful to him. That alone should be enough to sustain us now and I'm going through tough times and God is not granting my prayers. I want him to grant my prayers. But in the back of my head.

I know that even if he says no even if you remain silent what it is that I'm saying to him is very meaningful is a very easy thing to prove, is it not just instead of praying stop blaspheming your unit you can't because you know he hears you, you know that he is sovereign and you love him and those were not going to come out of your mouth. No matter the pressure that is upon you. We know the mark of a true believer's belief and truth enough enough truth to suffer and to endure and no matter what is granted or not granted. Hell hates this. I'm not fond of it myself but I don't hate it. I submit to it. We know that our endurance in Christ Jesus marks and frustrates and defeat a very ghoulish hell and it does the same to the world they hated that Daniel was the righteous man that he was and so they look at ways to stop him, so that they could be corrupt without having him around to salt the environment, believing without satisfaction. The Bible says is enormous. James chapter 5 verse 11. Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. We count them blessed who take a punch in the interests of the king because they hold to the truth.

Now the world takes punches to but they don't hold to the truth and that is what distinguishes us from them and that is also a reminder to us that life is to be ministry for Christ life includes me being a family person but is much more than that there's not enough if you Devon is a why I had a good family is not enough. This should be a burden for other people. For other lost souls also and it is a tragedy when Christians become so focused on their family that they no longer burdened by lost souls. Would you like a pastor that said something else would you like a preacher to come up and say notice take care your family let everybody right now? When you hear that way, you say that that is not right that is wrong.

I should have a burden for lost souls, because I don't want to go to hell. Why would I want anybody else to which to learn how to pull it off.

To learn how to serve, to learn how to do it without burning out without becoming self-righteous and judgmental. These are reasons why we expose ourselves to the Scripture and the characters in the Bible. Now we going to also be accused of being malicious and me just telling the truth no matter how you say oh we can't let that stop us from telling the truth can't stop people from falling on your sword. If they insist on falling on verse 47 now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land. Hope they can tie this all in for us as we move forward.

The middle of the sea, does not mean the center point of the Sea of Galilee. We learn how to read read Scripture this way because Scripture explains it to us. For example, back to John chapter 6, then the sea arose a great wind was blowing so when they had rowed about three or 4 miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea.

Well, Sea of Galilee is larger than 8 miles of me that's it for them to be in the center would not fix. Of course what Mark is saying is there there in the middle of the those of their trek.

Their journey three or 4 miles. As I mentioned earlier, it's about six to get Nazareth, give or take a little bit more and so that's always kind of just selling my long for us catch the nautical metaphor verse 48. Then he saw them straining at rowing with the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea and would have passed them by.

Now the story gets really good, at least to me, or first thing that when he saw them straining at rowing for the wind was against them. He saw them distanced.

It was nothing of no big thing for him. It is for us because when he doesn't show up and I'm struggling I'm saying, where is he out why does God seem so far away. Why does he seem not to care. He says I always see I always care.

I just don't do it your way.

I do my way. My way is better. And if you don't believe that you want to find out when you get to heaven you going to find out as good as it says in the very beginning of our Bibles and he saw that it was good when God made man and woman he saw that it was good. He did not see it as we need to fix this does is broken as they used to say. Even back in the 70s and earlier, he made them Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve and we should remind folks that you offer for someone to say, well, I've always felt that I was you know the opposite sex and the time I was a kid.

What I had signed kind of thoughts like that to always felt that other people desserts should be mine since I was a kid that doesn't make it right. That's how the world thinks they think that they have a sensation. It justifies sin and God's is downsizing this.this is deadly sin is no joke and we who preach the gospel should be very mindful that I wonder how many, many teens are in the sanctuary right now just on even listening to how many adults in the sanctuary on even listening, you know, at the preaching of God's word, you would hope that everybody would be on the edge of their seats, waiting for God to just minister to them, albeit through a flawed vessel God can still pour from a crackpot into crackpots so here's the story. Then he saw them straining at rowing straining at the oars. All of the rowing together not differ. I want to go.

This went on the meal that way all rolling together. Even Judas is cooperating in this boat in the midst of this disturbed. See they were struggling locally struggling to do was survive not capsize was one reason why they probably didn't turn around. But the struggling together because he told them to go to the other side. He didn't say go halfway out of it gets rough. Come back to this is what this is how we get the lessons out we read this. Why is the Holy Spirit preserved this language in this manner, there must be a lesson here. That's why Jesus would say, have you not read what David did and that Paul would say that Dino did what about the bond they would bring up stories from the Scripture because there are our and our instructions here they are obediently struggling to roll forward and they're not getting anywhere. Sounds like serving Christ sometimes struggling. I mean personally is just a Christian man reading and rowing.

That's my Christian life reading what he said getting my orders and then trying to roll forward with that. And yet I find often times them straining at rowing and I get upset with him for not making things easier to build switches built mess when messed up. We were built that way originally ruins. Sin is done this to us and as he has seen me so often as he is watched the faithful strain to obey against the winds of life. He still does. This ability to keep rowing to keep going on in the direction he sent me some by accident and his influence to face resistance in Christ is because of Christ would be able to do without him.

This ability comes from is very love for us in his focus on what he is going to do and use us to do it anyway.

Pin metals on generals for sending thousands of men to their deaths on the battlefield is not Christ our King of Kings, the Lord of hosts a lot of hoses is primarily a battlefield title for him. When the multitude of an army show up.

He is the Lord of armies in heaven and on earth.

The physical and the spiritual realm, so he has the right to order me to whatever destination he wants and he has the right watch me struggle in an effort to comply with his orders. So when when Jesus tells you I want you to do this and you do not want to do it.

You will struggle, but is it will move thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio you could search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark Rocky on cross reference radio