Struggling to Obey (Part B)

Got to be exhausted. This is going on for hours is going to get a timestamp in a moment the resistance we meet with again going back to Daniel because it's going to take Christ walking on the water to reach these men to save them and it still takes Christ exercising his miraculous powers. If he's going to save me from anything and especially myself. 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 today. Pastor Rick will continue his teaching called struggling to obey in Mark chapter 6. Indeed, we count them blessed in we count them blessed 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 do have an essay 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 no it just take care your family let everybody right now course not.

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 what 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 fit so 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 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 going 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. This 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 stuff this is deadly sin is no joke and we who preach the gospel should be very mindful of that. I want 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 them rowing together not differ. I want to go.

This went on a meal that would all rowing together. Even Judas is cooperating in this boat in the midst of this disturbed. See they were struggling locally struggling to know will survive not capsize was one reason why they probably didn't turn around. But this 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 and 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 bonds.

Amy 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. We 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, the Lord of hosts is primarily a battlefield title for him. When the multitudes with 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 to 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 are struggling but is it willful or are you just making up your mind.

I'm going to find his way gets ugly.

It's one thing to say Lord I'm trying to roll forward. I can get anywhere. I'm messing it up. It's an entirely different thing to say. Let me change the destination. Let me. You told me to go across two reports Capernaum. I'm going to go a different direction going towards the narrower the maniac was see that's what's happening often today and it's the way I'm hearing it is it's coming from our young adults in Christ there saying that Christians, not all of them, of course, not all but enough of them are insisting they are Christians. While there rowing in some other direction, and they get ugly when the rest of us were rolling towards the direction commanded point that what are we supposed to do.

Continue rowing we were going and not give an inch. Paul said I did not yield to them for one hour and essentially visit me in 60 minutes. I didn't bunch. They were wrong and I stood up to them. I stood up to Simon Peter because he was wrong.

I took Barnabas my friend because he was wrong and this was a big deal and Christianity would've stopped right there in Antioch Syria. If Paul did not stand up to his two friends say look I love you but you are wrong because you know they were playing those games and Jews from James had arrived up in Antioch from Jerusalem.

All of a sudden Jew Peter and Barnabas became very Jewish and anti-Gentile, and Peter and Paul would have none of it. We should catch some of the spirit. I have also discovered and what in this year. Then he saw them straining at rowing. It's a lot easier to watch these men roll on paper than to me. Rowing life. I'm into some of this training, but there apostles there make it through.

He's going to walk to them and then this might turn in the boat when I met her earlier. Now we get to see ourselves again far away as these men are struggling to obey Christ far away as Herat and Pilate and Caesar in the world world is doing its thing. The believers were doing their thing. Obeying Jesus that was what they were interested in doing so within the fight within the fight that we are engaged in for the interest of Christ. There is also the fight within us against the flesh is Harry Ironside said I've got this trader that lives in my heart me my fallen nature that has an appetite for things forbidden and is very serious about satisfying that appetite, and so at night without Jesus in the boat. They are struggling. They're not getting anywhere. It got to be exhausted.

This is going on for hours.

Incidentally, because were going to get a timestamp in a moment the resistance we meet with again going back to Daniel because it's going to take Christ walking on the water to reach these men to save them and it still takes Christ exercising his miraculous powers. If he's going to save me from anything and especially myself.

Daniel 1013, the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days, and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. This is an angelic being speaking telling Daniel. There is spiritual resistance. We've tried to reach you. Daniel on the sea while you're rolling forward but we have been intercepted by wickedness not been able to get to you on time will in a timely way. Got to them.

One time, but on the not as fast as Daniel would've liked it. It's always offers this explanation we read the summary circuit. What is the New Testament have to say about this.

Aside from all that Jesus was doing in his life.

We hear Paul say we wrestle not against flesh and blood principalities power spiritual wickedness in high places.

There are other elements that I'm up against.

This is while every time Jesus gets a chance of description or praise praying is talking to his father. It's recorded so we could read it and say uncle did the same thing. What what parent what mother does not like to see the daughter imitate them. What father does not like to see his son imitating my mood when the little guys fell in the 40s and miss your mocking me but but as a child. Of course you want to see them say that's the direction I want to go in where you are and what us what we want to do with God. You are the God who sees Hagar learned that lesson.

One of the earliest sections of Scripture where Yahweh is actually seen Genesis chapter 16. Then she called and she's dying you know things going bad for her. Then, in the Lord comes to her. Then she called on the name of Yahweh, who spoke to her. You are the God who sees she said, have I also here seen him who sees me. So there there on the lake and Jesus sees them, just as it was with Hagar and Yahweh. Because Jesus is Yahweh. That recognition of truth in her life changed her life as it did the apostles remember there were there to 3020 years out riding on having these things written down and it was to them like it was yesterday.

It was more than they could remember. They remembered enough, happy that he didn't remember everything because it's already a lot of reading help, how big would the Bible be if they remembered all of it know about the fourth watch. It tells us in verse 48 that is 5:57 AM so when he sends them out. The sun was setting it was getting dark. Now it's maybe three in the morning could be later they were rowing a long time enduring agonizing trapped you ever felt trapped as a Christian. Have you ever felt.

I'm just trapped is just thinks the snow. I can go to Lepic anger.

I can't get out of this. I guess that my things and be better. I'm trapped well, you're not the only one in this section there. They are attracted.

See you couldn't turn around. They had to roll forward and as I the risk of repeating myself rowing forward against resistance not getting anywhere. So now about the fourth watch. He came to them walking on the sea. Is that a little irritating. Why did he wait they saw them earlier when I just help them out give a brother a break because his his ways are higher than ours and their better and we learn to love him in spite of he came to them walking on the seat the same wind that resisted them could not resist him. That's one of the lessons we know this, he outpaced them he was going to pass them by about you, but I think this is hysterical. I mean, they could've just added he was walking towards moonwalking past them tell you kill her. Just put down yours is. This is humiliating, experienced fishermen, so what was his intent is walking on the sea. That's miraculous, tantamount to flying, he would have passed them by.

Was he trying to make a point.

Jesse Watters when he rose from the dead and the you found the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

He joins them in their conversation and it is a comical seem to some degree.

So we got talking about where you bid.

That's what they said there then Luke writes then they drew near to the village where they were going and he indicated that he would've gone farther thank God he didn't mean to something there that Jesus says they're going to be times where I will pass by and keep going and less and less you call out to me unless you hold me there next to you. I'm not going to be rude and force myself even though my own people. I think that's one of the great parts of this lesson because when they call out EMC instantly answers them what we could stay on this part about the came to them walking on the sea, the kind of dramatic entrance and would've pass them by.

But let's move forward to verse 49 and when he saw and when they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out but it was the Grim Reaper I made it in thing was a ghost just casually outlook at a goal citing it was like he's coming for us useful lessons. Sometimes we don't recognize our Lord is just that awesome. Sometimes he just did you know where to caught up in the storm and the resistance in the struggle we don't see them right there when I try to just settle it down just just to try to calm everything down and just submit tenants.

Everything get to mechanical zero just stop and hope that he will minister to me. Sometimes our lack of understanding causes us to be afraid of him because we don't recognize that it is he who is the one that is doing the things that were faced with God does not abandon one of the lessons, a struggling soul in the path of obedience feels like that sometimes Satan wants us to believe that we have been abandoned.

Jacob felt that way when he wrestled with the Lord until finally just submitted just because I can't let you go to you, bless me some of you have that I've been there doesn't work that smoothly that's that's correct. That is, that is faith overcoming the curse and many times it's not smooth. What if they were determined to go forward without him in the boat without going.

There's a ghost and just continue as many in the world do they would never reach their destination. Some are determined to roll through life without his miraculous walk into their life there free to do so. Had they turned back if they could've turned back, they would have accomplished nothing.

They just would have been tired, you know there's a saying if you you know that there are times if you retreat you die tired. If you run away if they had turned back. Ministry would've stopped. That should mean something to Christians what is ministry I think and I think some Christians don't understand.

Yeah, I think that the church is the centerpiece of ministry is not the only piece and I also believe to be independent of the church is to be wrong. When given the choice, I also believe that those in countries who cannot assemble to worship which they caught assembled the worship to be able to freely amongst the brethren have communion to pray together, to fellowship after service or before to sit and have God's word just said to them, may we may never take this for granted. Verse 50 but they all saw him and were troubled.

But immediately he talked with them and said to them, be of good cheer as I do not be afraid.

What quieted the voice. It is the voice of God that changed everything in my earlier days it seemed that God spoke to me so many times I'm with you have got the smoke it's okay now it's just like what you wanted.

You know the drill or teacher of Israel, will you do say the sky like a flashing's neon sign where you because he treats me like him supposedly Bjork I don't like it.

I don't like it. I'd love to hear him say I got this I love to hear him say I am with you. I'm not fond of hey lets you stay home. I thought I was using it. We were getting along so well. That way, what happened, crying out the drives. On the other one that moved you moved. I'm still talking to you whatever you talking to me and yet I get above my knees. I do what I'm told is best I can because I have enough truth and it just takes a pinch of truth is the put it this way. It takes a pinch of incense to blaspheme God.

That's what the Christians were persecuted they were single just just put a pinch incense and go about your busy worship Jesus Christ would just put a little incense on the altar to Caesar and will leave you alone and they refused or works the other way to just a pinch of truth submitted to rocks. Hell.

So when James says how great a forest a little fire kindles goes both ways you can start a big fire for God to with just a little fire.

Satan does not get all the advantages, though he gets many, it was the sound of his voice. It was one word in the Greek when he says, be of good cheer. That's a single word and it means just what it says he speaking to their emotions.

It has within it.

Okay the best I can maybe transfer this is saying to them, chillout that is true because the word has an and the meaning courage but that's not all of this again be of good cheer is supposed to make them feel safe, 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 will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick.

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