[0:00] Well, let me give you a very warm welcome to our service of worship here this evening. As always, today is the Lord's Day and we come to worship our Holy God.
[0:11] So let us begin the worship of God by singing to His praise in Psalm number 89. Psalm number 89 and we shall be singing from the verse 5 to the verse marked 9.
[0:33] In this psalm we sing and celebrate the covenant-keeping God because of all the wonders that He has done and because of His faithfulness shown towards us.
[0:48] We declare that there is none other like Him who is the Almighty One and that He reigns even in the raging of the sea. Psalm 89 from verse 5.
[1:00] 5. The praises of Thy wonders, Lord, the heavens shall express, and in the congregation of saints Thy faithfulness. For who in heaven with the Lord may once Himself compare, who is like God among the sons of those that mighty are?
[1:18] Great fear in meeting of the saints is due unto the Lord, and He of all about Him should with reverence be adored. O Thou that art the Lord of hosts, that what Lord and mightiness is like to Thee, who compassed round art with Thy faithfulness.
[1:35] Even in the raging of the sea, Thou over it dost rain, and when the waves that oft do swell, Thou stillest then again. Let us then sing these verses of Psalm 89, verses 5 to 9, to God's praise.
[1:48] To God's praise. The faces of Thy wonder, O heaven shall express, And in the congregation of saints Thy faithfulness.
[2:26] For who in heaven with the Lord may once Himself compare, Who is my God of the Lord may once, Who is my God of the Lord may once, Of those that mighty are.
[3:03] Yet in meeting of the saints, It's true unto the Lord, Until all the mountains shed, Will heaven be adorned.
[3:39] O Thou that art the Lord of hosts, What Lord in mighty hands, This life to Thee, Who compassed right, Heart with Thy faithfulness.
[4:17] Even in the raging of the sea, Thou always does rain, And when the waves that oft do swell, Thou stillest then again.
[4:54] Let us call upon the name of our Lord and pray. Let us pray. O holy God, O holy God, Thou which art from everlasting to everlasting, Sanctify our lips as we take Thy name upon them this evening, As we call upon the name of the most holy God.
[5:40] As we declare, as we have sung, That there is none that may compare with Thee.
[5:52] For thou art a God like none other. Thou art the God who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable.
[6:07] Thou art a God that is high and lifted up. So help us then as we seek to worship Thee.
[6:21] To in the beauty of holiness worship the Lord. For we come before the one who is majestic in all of His ways.
[6:34] The one who is clothed in majesty most bright. And the one where we can see that the very heavens declare His glory.
[6:51] The skies proclaim His handiwork. O who is a God like unto Thee. We pray that Thou would cause us to have a spirit of humility as we draw near to Thee, the Almighty One.
[7:14] That we might know that we draw near to a God whom no man hath seen nor can see. But who has made Himself known in the person of the Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
[7:35] And so our Father, help us to know that in and of ourselves we cannot approach Thee. For we have nothing good within ourselves. That even as the Lord Jesus has said, apart from me, ye can do nothing.
[7:52] That we are but creatures of the dirt. That we are sinners. And that we have nothing that we can offer unto Thee this night that would be acceptable in Thy sight.
[8:08] That we say with one of old, O wretched man that I am. And that our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in Thy sight.
[8:20] That we are all as an unclean thing. That we are all as an unclean thing. That we are all as an unclean thing. That we are all as an unclean thing. That we walk and are in darkness.
[8:31] O, but we give thanks, Almighty One, that Thou art indeed a covenant-keeping God as we have been singing about.
[8:44] That Thou art a God that has promised that through the seed of the woman that He shall bruise the head of the serpent.
[8:58] And that we who have been overcome by the evil one. Shall find life and life everlasting in the one who was to come and who now has come.
[9:14] In the Lord of glory. Who came from glory to Gogotha, to the grave for us. For us, Thy people.
[9:26] Who came to save sinners such as we are. Who lived the perfect life that we could not live. And who died the very death that we so verily deserved.
[9:37] But who rose triumphantly on the third day. Ascending up on high. Forever. Forever. Interceding for His people. Oh, we give thanks for the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
[9:51] That we can approach Thee. And that we can have access to Thee because of His works. Help us not to look to ourselves. But help us look to the one who was hung upon that cursed cross of Calvary.
[10:05] Who was hung upon that cursed tree. Who became sin for us. And help us not to think that we stand of our own strength.
[10:20] For let a man who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Oh, gracious one, as we journey on this wilderness of life. May we do so as those who come up out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved.
[10:34] Knowing that we find our strength in Him. That we find life in Him. And that we find life everlasting. And all the spiritual blessings in Him.
[10:46] So may we seek Him this evening, however. We pray that Christ might be exalted. That Christ might be glorified. And that Christ might be with us even where we are this evening.
[11:00] O be praised to present Thyself in our midst. For Thou hast said that Thou lovest the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
[11:14] So be with us as we seek to worship Thee. And as we come before Thee, Almighty One, we pray for any who might need Thee in a particular way this evening.
[11:27] That Thou would be mindful of them. Remember those who are suffering. Remember those who are suffering. Suffering physically. With their health. We ask that Thou might be pleased to heal them.
[11:39] To heal any infirmities that they might be experiencing. We pray for those who may be struggling mentally. Oh Lord. The sickness of the mind.
[11:50] Oh we pray that Thou would be pleased to work in them. And to clear Thou minds. And that they might know peace. And the peace of God that surpasseth all understanding.
[12:03] And we pray for the downcast in spirit. Gracious One. Those who are downcast in their souls. Those who are spiritually in need of Thee at this time.
[12:15] We ask that Thou would draw near to them. That Thou would show Thyself to them. And that Thou would comfort them, O Lord. With the comfort that only Thou art able to give. Lord, as Thou did comfort Thine people of old.
[12:29] Saying, when Thou passest through the waters, I will be with Thee. Help us to know that as we journey through this life. And as we might experience the waters of evil.
[12:41] Help us to know that Thou art with us. No matter where we go. Help us to know Thy promise. Where Thou has said, Lo, I am with Thee always. Even unto the end of the world.
[12:53] Help us to have faith in Thy promises. And to walk in Thy through. Oh, we pray that Thou would turn us unto Thyself again. And help us to walk in Thy laws. Forgive us, O gracious God, for turning away from Thee.
[13:05] As a people. As a community. And even as a nation. Oh, gracious God. We mourn the decisions of our nation. These past few days. Where the vulnerable are affected.
[13:21] Oh, we pray that Thou would look down upon us in mercy. And be pleased to turn us again unto Thee. That we might know that Thou art the God that does give life. And that life is in Thine hands.
[13:34] And that those who hate Thee love death. Lord, help us to turn away from these evil deeds. And to turn to Thee in whom is life and life everlasting.
[13:48] We give thanks, O Lord, that despite our sin. Despite our weaknesses. That Thou art pleased to still show us kindnesses.
[13:59] Thou art pleased to still bestow upon us many mercies. We give thanks for all the blessings that Thou hast bestowed upon us. From the food that we eat.
[14:10] To the drink that we are able to drink. Lord, help us not to take these things for granted. We give thanks for even the building that we meet in tonight. That we can have a roof over our heads. And that we can have shelter and health and strength.
[14:24] Oh, we give thanks for all of these things. We give thanks for all the emergency services, O Lord. We give thanks for the work that they engage in. And we ask for Thy blessing upon them.
[14:37] And for all the courage and the bravely win the world. When they go out, O gracious God. To reach the people who need help. Oh, we give thanks for them.
[14:48] And we ask for Thy blessing upon them. We remember our nation as a whole. As we have already mentioned. O great God, be merciful to us. Shine Thy face upon us.
[14:59] And upon all the kingdoms of this world. We long for the day where the kingdoms of this world are the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Remember also the persecuted church.
[15:11] O great God. Remember them in their trials and in their tribulations. Grant them courage. Grant them boldness to continue. And to continue on in the brightness of Thy face.
[15:22] Remember us, O Lord. As we seek to pray one for another. We ask that Thou would now still our minds as we come to hear Thy word.
[15:37] That Thou would remove any distracting thought that we might be thinking upon. And that Thou would now set our minds on things above. That Christ might be glorified.
[15:49] And that He might be our meditation here this evening. So hear us, we do ask. Watch over us, we do pray. And pardon sin. For we ask it in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen. Let us read the word of God.
[16:06] Firstly in the Old Testament. And in the book of Isaiah. The book of Isaiah and in chapter 43.
[16:21] The prophecy of Isaiah and in chapter 43.
[16:37] And we shall read the first 13 verses. Isaiah chapter 43. From the beginning.
[16:48] Hear now the word of God. But now, thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob.
[17:00] And he that formed thee, O Isaiah. Fear not. For I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.
[17:11] When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt.
[17:22] Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God. The Holy One of Israel. Thy Saviour. I give Egypt for thy ransom.
[17:33] Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight. Thou hast been honourable. And I have loved thee. For I have loved thee. Therefore will I give men for thee.
[17:45] And people for thy life. Fear not. For I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east. And gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, give up.
[17:58] And to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from far. And my daughters from the ends of the earth. Even everyone that is called by my name. For I have created him for my glory.
[18:11] I have formed him. Yea, I have made him. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes. And the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together.
[18:23] And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this? And show us former things. Let them bring forth their witnesses. That they may be justified.
[18:35] Or let them hear and say it is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord. And my servant whom I have chosen. That ye may know and believe me.
[18:48] And understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed. Neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord.
[19:00] And beside me there is no other. I have declared and have saved. And I have showed. When there was no strange God among me.
[19:11] Therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord. That I am God. Yea, before the day was I am he.
[19:23] And there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work. And who shall let it? And so on. With us that the Lord would add his blessing to the reading of his most holy word.
[19:38] Let us sing again. This time in Psalm 29. Psalm 29.
[19:50] And we shall be singing from the verse 5 to the verse 11. Psalm 29.
[20:03] In this Psalm we will sing about the voice of God. Thundering. And how God has power to do whatsoever he pleases to do.
[20:15] But in the end we glory that the Lord is pleased as the sovereign governor to bless and to strengthen his people. Psalm 29 from 5 verse 5.
[20:28] The voice of the eternal doth asunder cedars tear. Yea, God the Lord doth cedars break that Lebanon doth bear. He makes them like a calf to skip.
[20:40] Even that great Lebanon. And like to a young unicorn the mountain Sirion. God's voice divides the flames of fire. The desert it doth shake.
[20:52] The Lord doth make the wilderness of Kadesh all to quake. God's voice doth make the hinds to calf. It makes the forest fair. And in his temple everyone his glory doth declare.
[21:06] The Lord sits on the floods. The Lord sits king. And ever shall. The Lord will give his people strength. And with peace bless them all.
[21:19] Let us then sing these verses of Psalm 29 verses 5 to the end. To God's praise. Psalm 29 verses 5 to the end. The voice of the eternal doth asunder cedars tear.
[21:45] Yea, God the Lord doth see the tree. But left on earth of hell.
[22:06] He makes them like a calf to sin.
[22:17] In the pit of heaven alone. And like to a young unicorn.
[22:37] The mountain Sirion. God's voice divides the flames of fire.
[22:54] The best of death I sing.
[23:07] The Lord of me, the wilderness of the soul to him.
[23:29] God's joy shall be kind to come.
[23:40] In this time all is made. And in this time the every one.
[23:59] His glory shall be clear. The Lord sits on the floor.
[24:17] The Lord sits king and ever shall.
[24:29] The Lord will give his people strength.
[24:42] And with his grace bless them all. Let us read the word of God again.
[24:56] This time as we find it in the New Testament and in the Gospel according to Mark. The Gospel according to Saint Mark.
[25:07] And we shall read from chapter 4. The last few verses into chapter 5. Mark chapter 4, reading from verse 35.
[25:22] And we shall read to verse 20 of the next chapter. Mark chapter 4 from verse 35.
[25:36] Here again the word of the living God. And the same day when the evening was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
[25:48] And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind.
[25:59] And the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
[26:16] And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful?
[26:31] How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly. And said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
[26:44] And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadareans. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs.
[27:01] And no man could bind him, no, not with chains. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces, neither could any man tame him.
[27:17] And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God?
[27:39] I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name?
[27:52] And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he besought him much, that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
[28:07] And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine.
[28:22] And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea. They were about two thousand, and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and towed it in the city, and in the country.
[28:40] And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.
[28:54] And they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
[29:10] And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit, Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
[29:31] And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him, and all men did marvel. Amen.
[29:42] This is the word of God. We trust that the Lord would again add his blessing to the reading of his word. Well, before we consider that out of meditation, let us sing again. This time in Psalm number 69.
[30:00] Psalm number 69, and we shall be singing from the beginning to the verse marked 4. Psalm 69 is very similar to Psalm 22.
[30:14] That's great messianic Psalm about the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. And so these words, although they are the words of David, they are also the words of our Saviour, much of them on the cross.
[30:28] Psalm 69 from the beginning, Save me, O God, because the floods do so environ me, that even unto my very soul come in the waters be. I downward in deep mire do sink, where standing there is none.
[30:42] I am unto deep waters come, where floods have over me gone. I weary with my crying am, my throat is also dried. My eyes do fail, while for my God I waiting do abide.
[30:54] Those men that do without a cause bear hatred unto me. Than are the hairs upon my head in number more they be. They that would me destroy, and are mine enemies wrongfully are mighty.
[31:07] So what I took not to render forced was I. Let us then sing these verses. Psalm 69, verses 1-4, to God's praise. Save me, O God, because the flood is on me, that even unto my very soul.
[31:47] Come, let the waters be. I don't worry in thee, I am in thee, where standing there is none.
[32:14] I am in truth, what earth come, where floods are on me, where floods are on me, I will be with my crying am, my fruit is also bright, my chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing chewing
[33:21] Then it is unto thee Like a heartless earth Upon my head In the world for the King There are good meetings Joy and glad My name is God for thee Unlike these of what I should not To render forth was I
[34:25] Seeking the Lord's help Let us turn back to the passage that we read in a New Testament reading The Gospel according to Mark And in chapter 4 For our meditations this evening we will be considering the narrative and the miracle of Jesus calming the storm But for our text Let us read again verses 40 and 41 Mark chapter 4 verse 40 and 41 And he said unto them Why are ye so fearful?
[35:09] How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly And said one to another What manner of man is this That even the wind And the sea Obey him After a long hard day of working Or simply being active all the day I'm sure we would all want to simply Head home Put the kettle on And have a bit of rest The last thing that each of us would probably want to do After a long hard day Would to be going on the Kalmak ferry To get onto the other side And to start working again But in our passage In verse 35 On the same day of them Labouring all day
[36:09] Teaching and being with the multitude When the evening was come Jesus says to his disciples Let us pass over unto the other side Now Jesus and the disciples had spent the whole day Teaching and being with the multitude And they would have been weary They would have been tired They would have been exhausted Teaching can be very tiresome If there are any teachers here tonight I'm sure they know that very well When you're pouring yourself out Trying to teach somebody something Trying to help them explain In the most efficient way possible It can be tiring Especially when you have to repeat yourself Over and over and over again And they still don't seem to get it Teaching can be draining But so too can being with a multitude of people Even if you're not necessarily doing many things
[37:10] With the multitude of people If you're simply just with people You're always glad when you get home To simply enjoy your own company And to enjoy your own rest Jesus and the disciples Would have been exhausted But despite this Jesus tells them to pass over Unto the other side Because there was more work for him to do He who came down from heaven Came not to do his own will But the will of him who sent him And it's interesting When we learn That when they went over Unto the other side We read it It was only to heal One person It was only to heal That one boy Who was demon possessed As soon as the ship reached The other side
[38:11] Immediately There met with him Out of the tombs A man with an unclean spirit That once he had healed him We read in verse 17 That the people They began to pray him To depart out of their coasts And so he finished up And crossed onto the other side Regardless of how tired he was Jesus went through all of the effort Just for one soul Just for one weary soul And what a joy this is to hear About the mighty Saviour Who even when he became man And experienced the weaknesses That we so often feel He continued for the lost soul That this is the Saviour Who even when he was exhausted Walking up to the cursed cross of Calvary Having been beaten
[39:12] Being lashed Being treated like dirt He continued To the very end For his lost souls For the joy that was set Before him He endured the cross Jesus and the disciples They went into the ship After he has more work to do And as they were making their way To the other side The state of the disciples Of them being exhausted Turned to a state of fear And tonight we are going to look At their state of fear Under three different headings Natural fear An unfaithful fear And a faithful fear Natural Unfaithful Unfaithful Fear Let us consider First of all Then our first heading Natural fear If you look at verse 37
[40:15] And there arose a great storm of wind And the waves beat into the ship So that it was now Full The evening for the disciples Had gone from bad Them being tired To worse The storm Caused The waves To beat into the ship So that the ship Was now Filling And full With water Now thankfully Peter Andrew James And John Were fishermen Prior to the Lord Calling them Into The ministry Some others Also suggest That Philip Thomas And Nathaniel Know as Bartholomew Were also fishermen They were not told Too much detail About that But regardless During this storm As they were on this ship There was trained professionals Who knew What to do In the storm They were people Who probably had experienced
[41:15] Many storms themselves But even Despite that Despite their experience Despite their skill Despite their wisdom We find that During this storm They were being Overcome And that the waves Were beating Into the ship And the ship Was now Full That the trained Professionals Couldn't Contain it No matter how much They tried They couldn't Get the ship To land Safely They were at Their Worst Ends That this was Beyond Their Capabilities They couldn't Do anything They were fearful That the waves Of this Storm Were looking like They were going to Consume Them all Now The sea And water In the scripture Is often a picture
[42:16] Of evil And judgment If you consider For example The revelation Of St. John The divine In chapter 13 Where he writes That he Saw a beast Rise up Out of the sea Having seven heads And ten horns And upon the horns Ten crowns And upon his heads The name Of Blasphemy This Evil beast Rose From the sea Because the sea Is a picture Of evil In an Old Testament In the reading We read When thou passest Through the waters That's not necessarily Speaking of The times when the Israelites Were in a boat But no That's a reference to When they're Passing through The land Where they Come before Enemies Who are wanting To kill them When they come before The evil ones The waters Of evil And this is also Why the book of Revelation Says that in the New heaven And the new earth That there will be No sea Because there will be
[43:17] No evil In glory The sea is often A picture of Evil But the sea is also A picture Of judgment If you consider back In the Old Testament During the time Of Noah How was it that the Lord Judged the world Well it was through The global floods It was through The waters Of judgment What about In Moses' day Where the Israelites Passed through The Red Sea What was it that Consumed Pharaoh and the Egyptians Who were following After them Who were wanting To kill them Well the Lord Closed up the Red Sea And the sea Consumed them It was a picture Of God's judgment Consuming Them What is a great Picture of judgment And in particular The judgment Of God Well friends The condition The disciples Found themselves in
[44:17] Where they were in A ship With waves Beating into it And the ship Being now full Is a picture Also of Our condition Here Tonight And this is Our condition Regardless of Who we are The experienced Fishermen Peter Andrew James and John Were in the Exact same Situation As the tax Collector Matthew And the Zealot Simon The Canaanite Regardless of Their skill Regardless of Their knowledge Regardless of Their experience They were in The same Position Whether you've Been coming to Church your Entire life Or whether Tonight is Your very first Time in Church We are all In the same Helpless Condition You find That the Waters of Evil Are overcoming Where you Give in to Sin every Day Where you Enjoy the Pleasures Of sin Where you
[45:18] Cannot just Stop sinning That's true Of all of Us But you Also find That the Waters of Judgment Are going To consume You Where God's Righteous Holy Judgment For our Sins Are going To come Our way For it is Appointed Unto men Once to Die But after This comes The judgment Where we Shall all Stand before The judgment Seat of Christ And to Give an Account For all That we Have done All our Public sins All our Secret sins All our Sins Of ignorance We have Been overcome By evil And the Judgment of God is Pending upon Our lives The ship Is now Full What do The disciples Do The disciples Were at Their Wits End The disciples They followed Jesus Into
[46:18] The boat But now In their Desperation They ask The question Where is Jesus Where is Jesus In all Of this While the Waves are Pouring into The ship While the Ship is Now full Where is Jesus Christ We Followed him Into the Ship We were Tired We probably Didn't want To go to The other Side We came Because we Were following Jesus Where is He They go to Find him Then in Verse 38 We read He That is Jesus Was in The hinder Part of The ship Asleep On a Pillow In all Of this The waves The storms The wind The water Christ was In the Ship Friends Take notice Of this Through the Storms that Come away In this Life Christ is In the Mist It was Matthew
[47:18] Henry Who said We may Be at Our Wits End But not At our Faith's End While we Have such A saviour To go To It might Be hard To see It might Be hard To know But Friends He knows Exactly What you Are going Through He knows Exactly What You have Gone Through For we Have not Unhigh Peace Which cannot Be touched With the Feelings Of our Infirmities But was In all Points Tempted Like as We are Yet Without Sin Christ Was there In the Midst In the Hinder Part Of the Ship The stern The part That normally Controls And directs The ship He was There Although He was Sleeping His heart Was not And he Was there In the Midst After The disciples In their Desperation Find Jesus And find Him Sleeping They awaken They are
[48:19] In desperation They are Fearful This ship Is full Of water It would be Sinking Any moment Now They go To Jesus Christ He is Asleep And so They wake Him Friends Do you ever Feel as though The Lord Is sleeping When you Go to Him I say This in A reverential Way Look to Wake Him Up As it Were When you Call on Him If you Are Knocking And he's Not opening The door Keep Knocking If you're Asking Keep Asking Keep Asking Keep Knocking Keep Going To the Lord Who is In our midst Until you Hear From him Until you Have Peace Until he Saves you From the Sinking Ship That each And every One of Us Are on Keep Going To the Lord The Disciples Have A Natural Fear And Eventually They Go to Jesus
[49:20] Who was In the midst And they Wake him Up And that Brings us Secondly To our Second Hitting An Unfaithful Fear If you Look at What they Say to The Lord In The Last Part Of Verse 38 They Say Master Carest Thou Not That We Perish The Disciples Had Seen And Engaged With Christ As he Cared For Others As he Blessed Others As he Healed Others But now They Come to Think What About Us You Cared About The Souls Of The Multitude That Have Followed Us But What About Us Do You Not Care About Us Carest Thou Not That We Perish Now Yes They Were Terraphant They Believed That They Would Perish In The Storm But They Accused Jesus Christ Of Not Looking After Them They
[50:20] Accused Him Of Wanting To Essentially Sleep Instead Of Saving Them They Say That Christ Doesn't Care About Them Did Christ Care For His Disciples Well A Proof That He Did Is The Fact That As we Have Already Considered He Was Right There In The Midst But We Should Also Consider Why Was It That Jesus Was In The Ship In The First Place Now Yes It Was To Get To The Other Side But What I Mean By That Why Why Was He Even On This Earth Why Was It That Jesus Christ Was Born Why Did He Leave His Throne In Heaven And Come Down Into This Sin Sick World Was It Not To Eventually Die On That Cursed Cross Of Calvary And Pay For The Sins Of His People Was It Not To Fulfill All Righteousness!
[51:14] For His People Was It Not To Do! Nothing Necessary For His People So That They Who In Time Past Were Not A People Could Now Be The People Of God He Came To Be Their Righteousness He Came To Suffer The Wrath Of God On Their Behance To Die And Be Buried And Be Raised Triumphantly On The Third Day To Ascend Up On High Sit On The Right Hand Of The Father Where He Forever!
[51:48] This Is Why Christ Came To Earth This Is The Will Of The Father Christ Came To This Earth Because He Cares For His People And The disciples Here Ask Jesus If He Cares That They Are Perishing Do They Not Know Well You Know This Lie Is One Of The Biggest Lies That Satan Has Whispered In The Ears Of People All Around God Doesn't Care About You Why Should He How Could He After All You Have Done You Think God Would Want Anything To Do With You A Sinner God Created The Earth The Sun Moon Stars Planets Galaxies The Universe You Think He Want Something To Do With You A We Spectacle That The Tiniest Of Drops!
[52:44] In The Ocean So Many Have Fallen Captive To This Life And You Know It's Very Similar To Satan's Deceit With Eve In The Garden Of Eden After Eve Made Known That God Said That They Mustn't Eat Of The Fruit Of The Tree That Was In The Midst Of The Garden Lest They Die What Does Satan Say To Her Ye Shall Not Surely Die For God Doth Know That In The Day Knowing Good And Evil God Doesn't Want You Knowing Good And Evil God Doesn't Want You To Be As God Doesn't Want The Best For You God Doesn't Care For You Eve Was Deceived With This Line She Took Off The Fruit And Gave Also To Her Husband And Our First Parents Fell Into Sin So Many People Today Believe That
[53:44] God Doesn't Care About Them That He Doesn't Want A Relations With Them Because Of The Various Hard Trials That They Are Experiencing Because Of Their Mournings Because Of Sicknesses Because Of Calamities But My Friend This Could Not Be Further From The Truth He Is Not Willing That Any Should Perish But That All Should Come To Repentance The Very Breath In Your Lungs Is By His Grace His Mercy Woke You Up This Morning As You Beheld A New Day And As You Beheld A New Glorious Lord's Day The Lord Has Given You Another Opportunity To Hear His Word And To Be Saved From Sin Christ Is Presented To You In The Gospel Because The Lord Cares For You Cares Thou Not That We Perish The Disciples Ask Jesus But How Does He Respond
[54:45] Verse 39 And He Arose And Rebuked The Wind And Said Unto The Sea Peace Be Still And The Wind Ceased And There Was A Great Calm Jesus Here Shows His Authority Over Nature Where The Elements Of Nature Obey The Voice Of Their Master Even The Rocks Would Cry Out At The Command Of Christ He Makes The Wind To Cease And Calms The Sea He Calms Their Natural Fear And Then He Looks To Calm Their Unfaithful Fear As He As He As Them A Question In Verse 40 Why Are Ye So Fearful Now It's Interesting To Note That Even After Stilling The Storm Jesus Asks Them Why Are Ye So Fearful And Not Why Were
[55:45] Ye So Fearful Fear Remains In Them They They Fear The Storm But Now They Fear The One Who Had So Suddenly Completely And Dramatically Stilled The Storm And Jesus Follows On By Asking Them How Is It That Ye Have No Faith In Luke's Parallel Account Of This Passage The Question Is Traged Here O Ye Of Little Faith It's Not Necessarily Saying That They Had No Faith What So Ever In Fact We Know That They Applied Their Faith In The Very Fact That They Came To Jesus Of Nazareth In The midst Of The Storm But Jesus Is Asking Them Why Don't They Have More Than A Little Faith After Everything They Gone Through After Everything They Experienced His Power Over Nature Why
[56:45] Is It That They Would Think That They Would Perish In This Man's Company Is This Not A Question Also That We Can Ask Ourselves Both Unbeliever And Believer First Of All Unbeliever How Is It That You Have No Faith How Is It That You Don't Trust In The Lord Jesus Christ How Is It That You Are Denying Him Because He Who Is Not For Him Is Against Him After Everything You Come To Know And Learn About The Lord Jesus Christ Of His Glorious Gospel How Is That You Have No Faith This Is A Question To The Unbeliever But It Is Also A Question To The Believer And Probably In Context It Is More!
[57:35] Applicable! To The Believer Because The Lord Says It To His Disciples Believers How is it That You Have No Faith After Everything The Lord Has Done For You In Bringing You From Darkness Into His Most Marvelous Light In Directing You And Showing You The Way In Which You Are To Go Why Is It That You Have Such Small Faith Why In These Days Of Small Things Are You Not Trusting In The Sovereign Lord Our God Why In These Sad Days Of Our Nation Where Our Leaders Are Bringing Death To Our Land Are We Not Falling Upon Our Knees And Pleading With The Almighty God Why When Storms Come Do We Never Ask The Lord To Strengthen Us Or To Continue Us Trusting In Him For Our Hoping In The Lord Of Glory How Is It That You Have No Faith That's A Question For Each And Every One Of Us The
[58:36] Disciples Had A Natural Fear As The Storm Arose But Then They Had An Unfaithful Fear As They Ask Jesus If He Cares And Verse 41 And They Feared Exceedingly And Said One To Another What Manner Of Man Is This That Even The Wind And The Sea Obey Him The Disciples Feared Exceedingly Oh They Have Feared The Great Storms That Have Caused Them To Be At Their Whist End But They Now Fear The One Who Has Power Over!
[59:18] The Wind! And Power Over The Sea In An Even Greater Man The Storm Was Nothing Compared To What This Man Can Do To What This Man Is That This Was No Mere Man That This Man Spoke And The Wind And The Sea Obeyed Him Who Was It And Who Is It That Rains Even In The Raging Of The Sea Well What Is It That We Sung Even In The Raging Of The Sea Thou Over It Dost Rain And When The Ways Thereof Do Swell Thou Stillest Then Again Only God Has This Power Power Over Nature Because It Is Him That Created It It Is Him That Has Created All Things They Knew That They Were With The Almighty And Therefore They Knew That They Had No More Reason To Fear The Storms Of Nature More Than This Man Right Here They
[60:19] Knew That They Had No Reason To Fear Being Overcome The Waters Of Evil Because They Were With This Man Right Here They Knew That They Had No Reason To Fear The Waters Of Judgment Because They Were With This Man Right Here They Were With The One Who Came To Do His Father's Will The Messiah The Christ The Son Of God The Promised One To Come And Deliver His People When Thou Passest Through The Waters I Will Be With The They Feared Exceedingly!
[60:56] Or Greatly! And Said To One Another What Manner Of Man Is This That Even The Wind And The Sea Be Them Fearing Christ All The More Led Them To Declare His Works To One Another It Was A Faithful Fear They Had To Confess That He Was Like No Other They Were Compelled To They Were At A Loss Of Word For What This Man Could Do For What They Had Just Experienced And Witness The Lord Saved Them From The Storm And So They Confessed This Man Is Like No Other Has The Lord Saved You From The Storm My Friend Has He Saved You From The Power Of The Evil One Has He Saved You From The Judgment To Come The Judgment Of God For Sin If So Then Confess Him Confess
[61:57] Him Among The Brethren Confess Him To The Elders Confess Him To Your Family Confess Him To Your Friends You May Fear What Others May Think You May Fear Different Hardships That Might Come Your Way Because Of This You May Fear That The Waves Which Roaring In Might Consume You Might Cause You To Sink But Do You Fear Him More Friends Do You Fear Him Exceedingly Do You Fear Him Who Has Power Over All Things Do You Fear Him Who Governs All Things Who Sustains All Things Who Created All Things By The Word Of His Power We Can Fear The Lord In A Faithful Way Now The Fear Of The Lord Is Not Necessarily Speaking About Terror As Such But Rather About Being In All Of His Being Wisdom Power
[62:57] Holiness Justice Goodness And Truth Understanding That This Is The Almighty God And That He Is With Us When We Understand That The Almighty Is With Us And For Us Then We Can Fear Him More Than The Natural Fears That Come Our Way In This Life You Know I Love How The Gospel According!
[63:23] To Matthew Begins And How It Ends But We Read At The Start That That A Child Shall Come And Be Born And That His Name Shall Be Emmanuel Which Means God With Us God Was With Them But Then How Does It End Where Christ He Gives The Great Commission And He Says Lo I Am With You All Even Until The End Of The World This Is Showing You That From The Beginning!
[63:47] And From The End Christ Is With Us That He Is In Our midst If God Is With Us Then Who Can Be Against Us As The Apostle Paul Says Jesus Caused The Disciples To Understand That He Was With Them And To Fear Him More Than The Storms Of This Life And As We Look to Conclude I Want Us To Consider The First Part Of What They Say To One Another Where They Say What Man Of Man Is This Who Then Is This Man You Know In This Passage We Don't Actually Find Them Answering The Question As Such But Rather As One Writer Said Very Appropriately The Narrator Ends By Fixing The Attention Upon The Person Of Christ So That Everyone Who Reads It May Give His Own Answer May Profess His Own Faith And Add His Own Doxology Friends
[64:49] How Is It That We Will Answer This Question That Is A Question That We Must All Answer That Is The Million Dollar Question Of This Life What Manner Of Man Is Christ To You Who Is He To You Is He Your Lord Is He Your Saviour Is He Your God Or Is He Someone You Want No Business With Is He Someone You Might Consider Later On But Not Right Now Is He Someone Who Is Unable To Save A Sinner Like You Friends Don't Be So Foolish The Lord Has Given You Another Opportunity To Answer This Question What Manner Of Man Is This How Will You Answer It With All The Fears Of Life What Or Who Is It That You Will Fear The Most
[65:49] May It Be That You Fear The Lord Who Saves From The Storm And Not The Storm Itself May You Turn To The Only Saviour Of Sinners The Lord Jesus Christ While You Are In This Day Of Mercy Repent And Believe In The Gospel Amen Let us Bring Our Service Of Worship To A Close Singing To God's Face In Psalm 107 Psalm 107 And we Shall Be Singing The Well Known Words From Verse 23 To The Verse Mark 30 Psalm Psalm This Psalm This Psalm gives us Four Different Testimonies Of People Who Were In The Pit Of Sin With No Way Out But The Way Of Escape For Each And Every One Of Them Was That They Cried Unto The
[66:49] Lord He He He He He He He He He May We Do The Same In All Of Our Troubles Psalm 127 Sorry Psalm 107 From Verse 23 Who Go To Sea In Ships And In Great Waters Trading Thee Within The Deep These Men God's Works And His Great Wander Sea For He commands And For In Haste Stormy Tempest Flies Which Makes The Sea With Rolling Waves Aloft To Swell!
[67:16] They Mount To Heaven Then To They Reel And Stagger Like One Drunk At Their Whits End They Be Then They To God In Trouble Cry To Them From Straight Stuff Free The Storm Is Changed Into A Calm At His Command And Will So That The Waves Which Raged Before Now Quiet Are And Still Then Are They Glad Because At Rest And Quiet Now They Be So To The Haven He Them Which They Desired To See That Is Anything These Verses Of Psalm 107 Verses 23 To 30 To God's Please Yes good to see it gives advance in water chewing me chewing chewing chewing chewing
[68:31] God bless you.
[69:01] God bless you.
[69:31] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[69:45] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[69:59] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[70:10] God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
[70:24] God bless you. God bless you. Yes, Yes Yes Let us conclude our letter today.
[71:28] It's time for me. Oh, mighty one, help us to know that we in this life are in that ship that is filling and that we are at our worst end.
[71:43] But help us, even as we have just heard and as we have just sung, help us to cry unto thee. For thou dost hear us and thou dost answer us and thou takes us out from the pit and from the mighty clay and set our feet upon the rock, establishing our way.
[72:02] So may we all seek to close in with Christ while it is called today. And we pray now that thou would part us with thy blessing, that thou would go before us in the week that lies ahead. I would be pleased to forgive anything that was said amiss and take us home to our homes in safety.
[72:17] For Jesus' sake. Amen.