Walking on Water

Have your Bibles with you turn with me if you were two of six chapter Mark will start off with verse 45 through 47 immediately, he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side.

The best SATA while he dismissed the crowd and after you taken leave of family went up to the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was out on the sea. He was alone on the land that with me as we got our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father for 50 years.

Now we have been praying for the repeal of the Roe versus Wade amendment this week at prayer was answered. We praise you Lord help our states have the backbone to stand strong to stop the murder of the unborn of the last week. We pray for our PCA Gen. assembly. We pray that you would give pastors and ruling elders courage to not compromise appears that our prayer was answered. Help us Lord is a denomination and refused to back down.

Even if necessary to be willing to be rejected by our culture in order to be faithful to you. Father I pray for Scott Starcher's mom Karen please help her as she is struggling with lung and heart issues this week is Nicole Luntz and break the vertigo. This culture so many problems. Lord, the passage of Scripture that we are looking at today should absolutely thrill our hearts for years I thought Jesus walking on the water was a glorious miracle. I don't think I realized the glorious message you have for us to this miracle. This passage Scripture should absolutely amaze us. It should solidifying our heart who Christ Jesus really is Lord rivet those trends in our heart today open her eyes and show us Jesus Fortson Jesus holy and precious thing that we pray. Amen. You may be seated.

Jesus is just performed a miracle that has everybody's head spinning 5000 million, not including the women and the children were listening to Jesus preach, and Jesus preaching was just so captivating that before they realize it time got away from them and start reality get them right in the face.

They came to realize that that time and it was gone and it was getting dark and they were hungry and I didn't have any food and there was no restaurant there was no grocery stores. There was no way to get food anywhere in our thinking to themselves, we might go all night long. Without food we might not be able to get food for days. We might start today at little boy comes up with Andrew and Jesus's sack lunch.

Jesus takes that sack lunch five loaves and two fish and he takes it in his hands any and holds it up to the his father and he prays over it and as he does that he begins to break it, not the bread in the in the fish begin to multiply on his hands.

Disciples come up and they were lined up, one after the other and they take their toll doesn't hold my out in the bread and the fish begin to just roll into their togas and they take it they begin to distributed and it continues to go on and on and on until they feed possibly 20,000 people, all of them and I don't just have a morsel of food they got all the food they won't. Their bellies are full. I'm either about to pop and then when it's all done and they've all got gotten finished their 12 basket. Fish and bread that are left over, probably one for each one of the disciples. Jesus take that little boys bag lunch and feeds probably 20,000 people. Okay, this miracle was an eye-opener. What you think it did that crown. I think it welcome. I think that crowd will say in my goodness here's a man who is just fed all of these people and given us a free lunch.

Now, government done triggers that way our government is taxing us to death and taken everything that we got. But here's this man who is given us a free meal didn't cost us a penny.

Look what he can do taken preach the word of God taken to heal the sick and cast out demons. He can raise the dead and now he is feeding our faces taking care of us is not costing us a penny. That's the background of the passage that we are looking at today.

I got five points that I want to share with you as we check this passage out number one retreating from the crowds will look at verse 45 immediately made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side to best SATA while he dismissed the crowd very interesting. Jesus gave the disciples strict instructions to immediately go to best SATA Jesus then do that. Jesus stays right there.

He stays with the cry out as the disciples go to get in there but now why did Jesus do that.

Why did he do it. We don't have the answer for us in Mark but in John's Gospel we have some more information. In John chapter 6, verse 15, the Scripture says this perceiving the end that they were about the common taking by force to making King Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. We asked the question once I got to do with the disciples. Jesus stayed back to tell the crowds note I am not here to lead you in victory over the Roman Empire. I am not here right now to become an immediate earthly king. That's not what it's all about Jesus told them that he dismissed the cry out, and then he went up into the mountain to get a loan by himself and commune with his father wanted. He quits the disciples off and make them go. RC Sproul has a speculation and I believe that scroll is right in his speculation. He said this, I wonder whether the crowd response was so strong at the disciples themselves were caught up in it. Perhaps he saw that they were as excited as the crowd that they were looking to him with the hope that he might be the one to drive the Romans out of the land.

If so, it is hardly surprising that Jesus bustled the disciples off to best SATA in this way he hit it off any spontaneous mood to make him king.

So Jesus is not just worried about the wrong motives of the crowd.

Now he's even concerned and worried about the wrong motive of the disciples themselves to Jesus and squelch this movement to make him king, he squelched it and he goes up on the small mountain climbs up to the top of it he's up there to commune with his father but he can also look right down the mountain and is he does he sees the disciples in the boat so it was dark and does he see them.

I think probably the clouds have been knocked away by the wind and he looks down, probably by moonlight is able to perfectly see the disciples I point to pray and for God's will to be done with you.

Verse 46, after he taken leave of them. He went up on the mountain to pray while he Jesus need this time to get by himself and commune with the father. Some have conjectured that Jesus was struggling with this temptation to be an earthly king that this was something that just, thrilled his heart a little bit that at the crowd's authority said we want you to be the King you can do it now his disciples were even saying yes that's a right thing for us to do is Jesus really being tempted to do this.

That's nonsense. Can you imagine what some of our American politicians were doing somebody were to come to them and say we want you to be king. We will choose to be the king of this nation were given you all the power you can do this and what you think they would say. I think that site man, that's great. That's exactly what I want.

I don't have to worry about anything else. I just want the power and forget the Constitution forget our Republic just make me king folks is that latitude Jesus hand absolutely remember who Jesus is.

Jesus is the son of God, and folksy. He is not tempted by this particular temptation whatsoever. In fact, he's already dealt with that temptation recite and come into doing both right and begin the beginning of his ministry and Satan said if you will bow before me, Jesus, I will give you the kingdoms of this world would Jesus say Jesus say is that it is written that shall worship the Lord thy God in him alone, shalt thou serve. But rest assured of this Jesus is in no way tempted by the desires of the crowd to make him an immediate earthly king see Jesus knows his destiny is exactly what's gonna happen. He's here in his first coming. Not to get a crayon but to get across. Think Jesus was praying for the disciples and the crowds that that they would not get called up in this wrong thinking that they would realize that their calling was a calling to surrender to God. It was Jesus who said if any man could come to me letting denying sale take up his cross daily and follow me. I want you know the crowds didn't feel that way the crowds were hungering for political victory. The crowds were hungry for monetary blessing and a soft easy road in life.

I think Jesus all the disciples may be leaning in that direction. They wanted the crown and not the cross. I believe this would Jesus pray about here. Father, help them to quit thinking in the temporary help them begin to focus on the attorney in the way of the eternal is the cross only ask you something is be honest we not think in the temporary I been praying for America. I been praying that God would break the corruption in our government. I've been praying that God would break this progressive what movement that's going on in our in our country today. I been praying that God would deal with this crazy sexual perversion that is just permeating our society. I've been praying that God would move up in our nation and bring the nation to repentance and bring great revival here, but at what cost do I want that revival am I willing to go through personal persecution. Am I willing for America to experience an economic depression if it means that our economies can be destroyed or my more concerned about skyrocketing gas prices that I am about a lost generation who cares nothing for God's gospel cares nothing for God's values, who laughs at the idea of a Puritan work ethic. I pray for revival in America but I'm not really willing to pay the cost folks we as Christians are not just in the political war we as Christians are in a a spiritual war, and God is calling us not to a cushion but to across 5.3 attention-getting adversity. Look at verse 47 through 48. A. When evening came about was out on the city and he was alone on the land I saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them, Jesus is up on that little mountain.

The wind is blowing this the clouds out of the way so that the moon is probably shining brightly and Jesus is able look down you can see, the disciples perfectly in that boat.

Jesus commanded them to go to best site and that's what they're trying to do but there in a sailboat and is there trying to get to best SATA, the, the, the wind is blowing in the opposite direction that they need to go and so they have to take the sale down. I take the sale down.

They get their orders out. They start they start rolling. But I'm telling you it's tough because there's the current is just so strong that they're going 1 foot forward and then two steps back that the Scripture defines it this way. They were making headway painfully. The Greek word, they are means torment.

I mean they were rolling so hard that their arms were about to follow. All things were just miserable. It was so tough now. This is not a hurricane force wind like they had faced before. When the got so scared they thought they were gonna die is not the situation here, but so wind that's causing the current that's making life extremely difficult for them. So Jesus is up on the mountain. He's able to see their dilemma there trying like crazy to be obedient to him that nature is getting in the way and things are really really tough Nino disciples were in that boat. We think their thinking. I think there in that boat if they can, while Jesus is up on that mountain is communed with his father enough, think about us. We don't even know what's going on with us. He doesn't know how tough were having it right now he doesn't know how difficult it is for us.

Jesus is is cut away from us right now and he just didn't get it but Clemente something Jesus got it. Jesus understood perfectly. Jesus was see and exactly what was going on in their lives also share a couple verses with your list of these carefully. Proverbs 1513 the house of the Lord in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Hebrews 413 and no creature is hidden from his site, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. Proverbs 521 the ways of manner before the house of the Lord any watches all his pants. We would save our sales a whole lot of fretting if we took those verses to heart that God sees us and our need that God cares about the needs that we have in God is well able to take care of those needs. In the sermon on the Mount.

It was Jesus who said this look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than the day Jesus all the plight of the disciples and they are dilemma got his full attention. All right, point for an awakening theophany. Look at verse 48 BC 52 about the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea.

He meant to pass by them when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost and they cried out for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately spoke to them and said, take heart. It is I do not be afraid, and he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased and they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loans, but their heart hardened once again the liberals in the biblical skeptics have had a heyday with this passage I said with.

We can't believe this idea that Jesus actually walked on the water that could have happened. So they come up with some examples to explain why it couldn't happen they say this was probably just optical illusion that the in the midst, and in the darkness they kinda looked out and they just thought it was Jesus, but really what with it. One Jesus tell me there's had a get the boat having Jesus get the bug to jump in the water.

Did he swim out to where they were in the in the water against that current that they could even run when an entity jump into the boat was a drenched with water.

Absolutely not, and is some of the Bob Bible liberals and some of the scholars are skeptics of what they say is that Jesus was so smart that he wasn't really walking on the water. He just knew the sandbars were and so he was taken one step here in one step. One step here and I just thought he was walking on the water but it didn't really happen. Baloney folks, this is the God who created heaven and earth, the God who created every sale in our body. The God who said they assume in Isaiah chapter 46. Remember the former things of all, for I am God and there is no other. I'm God and there is none like me, declaring EN from the beginning, and from ancient times or things or not and and say in my counsel shall stand, and I will do all of my good pleasure brothers and sisters, we need to understand that we have an infallible witness and that witness is the word of God.

It was the apostle Paul.

He said all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, instruction in righteousness.

In the book of Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews said that the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit as joints of the marrow is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

It was Jesus who said that not one jot or tittle shall pass away from the wall. What is a jot is is the Hebrew letter he owed his little letter smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet looks like a little' and in what is a tittle tittle is a little tiny mark in several of the Hebrew letters. What was Jesus saying he was saying not only of the stories in the Bible true not only of the statements in the Bible true not only of the sentences in the Bible true. Not only are the words inerrant and infallible, but even the letters as they came off the opinion of those who initially wrote it, that it came off the P and exactly perfectly even down to the tittle the marks on the letter brothers and sisters.

What an infallible witness that we have the Bible the word of God is he an errant infallible word. And if that's true, then guess what Jesus really did walk on water I and there's a statement that sounds a little strange since he met the pass them by what is that mean Sweeney was teasing with them playing with their emotions does it mean that he just cannot walk by, so they would probably make a jump in the boat. No, the best thing that we can do here is to interpret Scripture with Scripture if you go back to the Old Testament. Oftentimes God would reveal himself to a person or to a group of people what's called a theophany at work the Theo and Ann feign Aust. Theo means God and feign Aust a means to display or manifest a theophany was a manifestation of God in a physical form only give you three quick Old Testament examples. The first one is with Abraham in Genesis 15, the Lord speaks to Abraham and tells him that he is going to inherit the land. Abraham has doubts it, and see how that can happen. And so God speaks to him. Genesis 1517 he says this and it came to pass that when the sun went down and it was dark, hold the smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed tween those pieces of God in the form of a bright shining lamp. The glory of God emanating from that bright shining lamp is something very special. God first of all put Abraham in the state of paralysis, not permanently but temporarily so Abraham was lying there watching all this, but he couldn't do anything you could move these just watching it. God takes an animal. He keels the animal.

He takes the pieces that animal and put some into parallel lines, and then God in the former that bright shining lamp goes between the pieces that animal and in goes right through it passes right by Abraham.

So Abraham can see it. What was God doing God was cutting the covenant. He was sealing the covenant. He was saying Abraham. This covenant is not built on your integrity. You're over there doing nothing to to to make sure that something that you done something to make it work. This is built on my integrity and got a Abraham you can believe you can trust me because I am sealing the covenant and I am showing you that it's gonna happen by this theophany.

I am passing by you. You see my glory. I am passing by and wanted Abraham to Abraham got so excited that he changed his whole life. That theophany that passing by, of God turned Abraham upside down is able to trust God and believe that God was good to do exactly the city's going to do. Secondly, there's Moses you remember when Moses went through the wilderness. He saw the this Bush the burning bush that was not consumed and the Lord spoke to a matter that Bush and said Moses take off your shoes for you were standing on holy ground. Moses did, and Moses finally asked Mrs. Lord, who are you and the Lord said to him, I am that I am in Exodus chapter 33 Moses societies broken. He is he is just torn up on the inside. He is terribly depressed. Why, because the people of God have made a golden calf and they have worshiped it and he knows how horrible that is until he cries out to the Lord and the Lord takes Moses and he puts them up in the cleft of the rock he puts him in the cave and then Moses cries out patient Lord, show me your way that I might know you show me your glory.

Listen to what happened. Exodus 33 and it shall come to pass, while my glory passes by now put you in a cliff cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand while I pass by. I will take away my hand. Thou shalt see my back parts of my face shall not be seen. Moses was never the same again. When he came walking down that mountainside's face was shining with the very glory of God that theophany God passing by, changed his life and showed him the God really was the third one I want to mention third example is Elijah member Mount caramel the great contest between the bail faults God and the true God, Jehovah, that they they are told out in that situation. Elijah says to the priest of bail 450 prophets go out make your altar.

Take your bull put them on the altar and then ask God to send fire to destroy.

I'll make an altar for the Lord. Elijah says I'll put my bull on the altar and then I'll pray to my God so you know what happened. The profits of bail priding in and tore their garments tried everything I could to get their God to do something, nothing happened. So finally Elijah said is my turn.

Elijah looks over Nick. He cries out to the Lord, Lord, signifier, and the Lord sends a fireball down and it E and it burns up the altar and it burns up the sacrifice, and even licks up all the water in the trench and all the people of Israel follow their face like try out the Lord he is God, the Lord he is God retail. I just pumped up these exciting pieces.

Now this can be revival in Israel. He said now even Ahab and Jezebel were peanut didn't happen.

Jezebel put a contract out on the lodges life schism.

The kill you lodge you got scared. He ran over 90 miles all the way down to Beersheba he got to Beersheba he went and climbed up under a juniper tree and then he cried a said Lord just going take my life only will live anymore.

Would God do with the Lord putting in a cave in a mountain much like with Moses first Kings 1911 to 12 says this and he said go forth and stand up on the mountain before the Lord in the whole, the Lord passed by the great and strong. We had written the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord of the Lord was not in the win. After the wind and earthquake with the Lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake a fire. The Lord is not in the fire after the fire.

Still, small voice. God passed by both God's passing by prisons. The theophany shook Elijah out of his depression and strengthen his faith in unbelievable ways. Three glorious Old Testament examples of theophanies folks there theophanies of God revealing himself to his people and how does God do it by passing by right back to Jesus walking on the water. I love how RC Sproul described it.

He said Jesus self-consciously made himself theophany the glory of God bursting through the shrouds of the humanity of Jesus was made manifest to the disciples in the middle of their distress.

They looked up and they saw the glory of God passing by the glory of the Lord shining out the son of God disciples were not immediately where this was Jesus manifesting his glory. What did they think like well this must be a ghost and they were scared to death and they were so scared look what it says in verse 50 I guess is a key verse says, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, take heart.

It is thy do not be afraid.

I wish we didn't have to see this in the English because English does a terrible job in getting across what is truly here in English. It says, be of good cheer and is not what Jesus said you read this in the great what it says is this Jesus said, be of good cheer, I that word I a.m. is the Greek word ego.

I made if you go over to the gospel of John, you'll see that word over and over again because in John's gospel John goes all the way back to the to the burning bush, where God said to Moses, I am that I am I am Jehovah. I am I am Yahweh, I am God, and the uses that to explain who Jesus is John's Gospel was written about 30 years after Matthew Mark and Luke and the purpose of John's Gospel was to prove to us the deity of Christ and in John's Gospel.

You'll see passage after passage telling us that Jesus is the great I am. I am the bread of life. I am the light of the world. I am the door. The sheep I am the good shepherd. I am the way the truth and the life I am the resurrection and the life I am the true vine. Jesus was claimant deity. He was not just a great teacher.

He was not just a good man. He was not just a miracle worker. He was and he is God.

That's why Jesus passed by, it was an awakening theophany after Jesus took away their figures he's in the boat with them. Was he doing looks out over that wind is blowing so hard against them, and he stops the win.

He tells it to stop immediately starts in the sea becomes just like glass in the Scripture says the disciples were amazed and they wondered verse 52, but I have not understood about the Lotus because their heart was hardened and what are they not understood they had not fully comprehended at the person that they were following was God Almighty himself after code RC Sproul one more time what he said.

Here's great. He said Mark even tells us why they didn't get it there hearts were hard when people fail to understand the identity of crisis. Not because they're unintelligent is because their hearts are recalcitrant there hearts are made out of stone for CNS cause great calluses to grow in their heart, so that Christ himself could walk in front of them on the water and they still would not believe the disciples did not get it when Jesus fed the 5000. They did not get it when he walked on the water. They did not get it. When he called himself eagle on me. I did not get it when he stepped into the boat and the wind died. Hearts were hard.

My last point is divine authority and power lifters. Verse 53 to 56 when they crossed over, they came to Lanigan*they more to the shore when they got out of the boat. The people immediately recognized him and I ran about the whole region, and began to bring the sick people on their beds wherever they heard he was and where we came in villages, cities or countryside. They laid the sick in the marketplaces implored him they might touch even the fringe of his garment as many as touched him were made whale cyclist took off in the boat that day. They were obeying Jesus they were going to Bethsaida but they did end up in the site are they ended up and can answer it. Oh well, what does that mean does that mean that Jesus messed up and he was soon in one place and went someplace else and he didn't really know where they were going that mean that at all. Jesus knew exactly where they were going.

They needed to go to Ganesh Rick, but he also knew that if he simply him in the direction of Bethsaida that the win would shift from and they would go to Ganesh Rick decide that he knew. The wind was coming and he knew this was going to give him the opportunity to pass by, and as they passed by. What with the disciples see they would see the theophany they would see his glory, they would know while this is not just our friend. This is God Almighty himself, and now the needy crowd was there an Knesset and they were waiting for his help we sleep with through the minds of the disciples as they stepped out of that boat.

There was this new understanding of who Jesus Christ is the is not just a friend.

He is not just a teacher, a great teacher. He is not just a miracle worker P is in fact God is the one who made heaven and earth.

He is the one who made us. The disciples are saying, what did they think now they saw Jesus healed the sick. Scripture says in the thick coming up to Jesus and reached over to grab the hem of his garment, and we talked about that a few weeks ago with the hem of his garment is a symbol of his authority.

You go back into the book of numbers and that symbol of his authority was very important that you think you just touch the symbol of his authority. If they would be made whale and what happened. Everybody that just touch team were made whale. The blind were seen the deaf or hearing the lame were walking. It was complete, total healing, the disciples were beginning to understand only tell you why they never got over the theophany they never got over Jesus passing by that 60 years after the S.

John, the apostles, the only disciples still living. He's only in exile on the island of Patmos and Wiley's. They are God commissioned him to write the book that we call Revelation and peace sitting there with his pianist hand. The Holy Spirit of God is infallibly inspiring him to write the first chapter of this book to explain who Jesus is. I'll tell you what I believe. I believe with all my heart, that is, John is sitting there Holy Spirit of God brings his mind right back to this experience that John had in the boat and he remembers Jesus passing by, he remembers seeing his glory. He remembers coming to the understanding of who this Jesus really is in Revelation chapter 1. This is what he says about Jesus. Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of Kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom of priests to his God and father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though I were dead.

But he laid his right hand on me, saying you're not in the first and the last I've heard people say done really matter with you believe that Jesus walked on the water, not I would tell you right now it doesn't matter and it matters a great deal for Jesus walking on water was Jesus passing by. It was an awakening theophany. It was for the disciples is for every single one of us that are here today explaining us who Jesus is. He's not just a great teacher is not just a good man.

He's not just a miracle worker. He is Yahweh he is the great I am.

He is Almighty God is pray. Heavenly father part of worship is all in adoration. In this passage we saw you building all in adoration into the hearts of the disciples, you have the disciples to get their minds off the glitter of this world you help them to focus on the glory of eternity is only one way that happens, that is when we say that the King of Kings and Lord of lords led to so deeply that he went to the cross laid down his life for the sheep Lord due to us what you did for the disciples in the storm, reveal yourself to us, forcing Jesus holy precious name that I pray, amen