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[0:00] Amen and amen. You may be seated. Children, you may go to your King's Kids class just by quick show of hands.! Who was not alive in 1995? Please raise your hands.

[0:11] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was five. I was five, 1995. That was a little joke. That was a joke.

[0:30] The chaos maker. We've all experienced the chaos maker. Here's what a chaos maker does.

[0:42] A chaos maker is some kind of event or situation that takes the nice, orderly components of your life and blends it together like a food processor.

[0:58] Chaos maker makes chaos out of order. It brings disorder to your life. And more often than not, in a chaos maker, the effect that it has is it unsettles you.

[1:12] Makes you feel small. Makes you feel fragile. Isolated. You will feel exposed. You will see things about yourself that you're like, I've never seen before.

[1:26] Or you will see things about yourself you don't want to see about yourself. Nor do you want anybody else to see about you. Chaos makers range in their intensity and then the duration.

[1:41] There's a whole bunch of chaos makers out there. Let me give you an example of some. Cancer is a chaos maker. Dementia, Alzheimer's, mental illness.

[1:55] Chaos makers. It's when they blend kind of the order of your mind and of your body into disorder. There's this category that nobody in the room has ever dealt with.

[2:09] It's out of control kids. Can be a chaos maker. They can bring disorder to your order. And then there are natural disasters.

[2:21] Let me just name you some. Hurricanes. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Wildfires. Volcanic eruptions.

[2:33] Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Torrential rain. Floods. Mudslides. Droughts. They're all chaos makers. They devastate homes.

[2:43] They bring death to people. They destroy livelihoods. You know what? I had a dream last night. Literally, I dreamt this last night. We had an unstoppable overflowing toilet.

[2:58] It was an incredible chaos maker. I woke up in a cold sweat. Has anybody got a flooded basement? Raise your hand. Chaos maker.

[3:11] Sometimes it feels like you're going from one chaos maker to the next. Like life's one long string of chaos is. This morning, we're going to see the king of all creation literally treading on a watery chaos.

[3:29] Last week, Les preached for us the feeding of the 5,000. And at the end of that account, people tried to force Jesus to be their king.

[3:39] But Jesus wouldn't have any of it. He reveals himself according to his terms. And this morning, we are going to see Jesus reveal himself in the midst of chaos.

[3:54] They're his terms. And my prayer is that it puts hope in your heart. Because we're all living in some kind of chaos. So would you turn with me to John chapter 6, verses 16 through 21.

[4:10] Five verses of big Jesus. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea and got into a boat and started across the sea to Capernaum.

[4:21] It was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because of a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat.

[4:34] And they were frightened. But he said to them, It is I. The Greek for that is ego ami. Do not be afraid.

[4:47] Then they were glad to take him into the boat. And immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. May God bless the hearing of his word.

[4:57] Here's what we're going to do this morning. Two moves. First move is this. I'm going to walk you through this revelation at sea. And we're going to see the departure of the disciples into chaos.

[5:09] We're going to see a revelation in the midst of chaos. And their arrival out of chaos. And then we're going to pivot. And I am going to help you apply the good news of this passage to the chaos in your life.

[5:22] With four principles if I can get to them. Alright. So let's walk through this account starting with a departure into chaos.

[5:33] This is verse 16 and 17. And just as a reference point, John 6, 16 through 20, is also reported on in Mark and Matthew.

[5:44] So Mark's account is in Mark 6, 45 through 52. And Matthew's account is in chapter 14, 22 through 33. And both Mark and Matthew include some details that John intentionally leaves out.

[5:56] But what this is, is basically an account of a crossing of the Sea of Galilee. A freshwater lake. Notice in verse 16, when evening came.

[6:10] This is the same day of the feeding of the 5,000. Or better said, 15 to 20,000 with women and children. It was a big day. And a couple things that Mark and Matthew include that John doesn't.

[6:26] Is this. First, it's actually Jesus who very intentionally sends his disciples out in their boat.

[6:37] Very intentionally. He says, get in the boat. Depart for Capernaum. And he stays behind. So he intentionally sends them out alone onto the Sea of Galilee and remains behind.

[6:51] Note that. And second, Jesus remains behind in order to dismiss the crowds. So they've just fed 15 to 20 grand. Jesus is being a good host. Sending everybody on their way.

[7:02] They'll probably walk a relatively short distance. The court along the northern rim of the Sea of Galilee. Which would have been maybe 5, 6 miles. Just a few hours of a walk. But he also goes up on the mountain to pray.

[7:16] We learned this from Matthew and Mark. We're not told in Mark, Matthew, or John what he prays. Just that he does. So, kind of left.

[7:30] What did he pray? A. To recharge after a long day. B. To thank the Father for what he has just done.

[7:41] C. To intercede for his disciples because they are rowing into a chaos maker. Or D. All of the above. I would say D.

[7:51] All of the above. One thing is clear. Jesus hasn't intentionally stayed behind in order to send his disciples into a chaos maker without him.

[8:06] Remember, Jesus chooses to reveal himself on his terms. It makes you wonder.

[8:18] What do you think the disciples were thinking as they got into their boat and pushed off into the Sea of Galilee? I mean, in verse 17, we learn that darkness has already fallen.

[8:32] So, let's say it's 7.15. They're pushing out on the sea. I mean, we've got seasoned fishermen on board. I'm guessing there was maybe a conversation that went like this.

[8:46] Maybe it was Andrew to Peter. Hey, Peter. How's Jesus? How's Jesus going to get to Capernaum? If he's not with us on the boat, how's he going to get there?

[8:59] And Peter would have probably just said, I bet he'll just walk it. Okay. Okay. We have seen the departure into the chaos.

[9:12] Now, let's look at the revelation in the midst of chaos. This is verses 18 through 21, the beginning of 21. In verse 18, we see that the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.

[9:28] John describes the sea as rough, which is a little bit of an understatement.

[9:39] Because Mark and Matthew, they write that the wind was against them, that they were being beaten by the waves, that they were making headway painfully.

[9:52] So, as they're pushing off into the lake, I'm guessing they're kind of expecting a pretty calm kind of like transit.

[10:06] But their orderly crossing of the Sea of Galilee was quickly thrown into disorder because they were thrown into a mixer. A water chaos.

[10:18] I used to own a sea kayak. It was fast. And years ago, I brought it out on Lake Michigan when the wind was blowing and the waves were big.

[10:29] I just wanted to see how it would do. And I'd ride up, I'd paddle up a crest of a wave and then drop down into a trough.

[10:43] There were big waves. And it was exhilarating and terrifying. I felt small.

[10:55] Powerless. On a knife edge of drowning. Vulnerable, in danger. That was during the day.

[11:09] I could see everything. But the disciples are out on this chaos maker of the Sea of Galilee at night. In darkness.

[11:23] Dark. And the deeps are being disorderly and dangerous. Surely, even these seasoned fishermen were experiencing some fear.

[11:38] Now, if darkness had fallen at 7 p.m., and just grant that for this point. Matthew and Mark, they both give this kind of like time stamp.

[11:55] That something terrifying happens in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at what they call the fourth watch of the night. And the fourth watch of the night is this window of time between 3 and 6 a.m.

[12:10] So let's do the math together. Let's say they push off at 7 p.m. And they start rowing their boat to shore. If they're in the middle of the lake, between 3 and 6 a.m., they have been paddling for 8 to 11 hours.

[12:28] Has anybody paddled for more than two hours? I see that hand. They would have been fatigued.

[12:40] They would have been frustrated. Because they're thinking, you know what? If we had just walked, we would have been to Capernaum in half the time. So they're moving at a crawl.

[12:51] You know what it's like to be in some kind of chaos maker. And the time span is just extending. It can be frustrating and draining. What has happened here is their order has been dramatically changed into disorder.

[13:16] The outside chaos brings out the inside chaos of us. Fear, frustration, isolation, hopelessness.

[13:29] You feel vulnerable and fragile. It's just beautiful. It's just perfect situation to blame other people. Why is my life so hard in this chaos?

[13:42] Because this person did it. Or because God, you brought this about. But what you need to understand here is that this chaos maker on the Sea of Galilee is no accident.

[13:58] It's not random. It's purposed. Maybe you have an out-of-control wild child.

[14:09] Maybe you've been diagnosed with cancer or dementia or a loved one that has. Maybe you've had a flooded basement. Or some kind of chaos maker.

[14:24] Could it be that that chaos maker has been sent by God? Remember, Jesus reveals himself on his terms.

[14:40] And he has purposefully stayed behind. In verse 19, this is where things go crazy.

[14:53] In verse 19, we read, When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. Eight to eleven hours of paddling at a crawl, in the dark, in the wind, in the big waves, slamming across your face.

[15:19] And at this moment, Jesus decides to show up. It's at this moment, Jesus decides to reveal himself.

[15:29] It's at this moment, in the chaos, when they're exhausted, that he chooses to reveal himself. They see Jesus walking on the water, coming near the boat, and they are terrified.

[15:45] Mark and Matthew say that they think that they're seeing a ghost. Here's the deal. Jesus isn't running. He's not sprinting across the waves.

[16:00] He's not, you know, when you walk out on ice, and you're kind of like, is this one going to hold up? Jesus isn't testing each step. He's walking.

[16:15] Surely these waves are big, so is he walking up the crest and down the trough? Or, you know, have you been to the ocean for a summer vacation with big waves, and you kind of step out into the wave zone, and it splashes, and you like stand like granite against it?

[16:36] Is that how he's going through the waves? What's the expression on his face? Is he intent?

[16:48] Is he smiling? Is he whistling? If he had a smartphone, would he be playing Tetris? Because this is, this is no big deal to Jesus. This is no big deal.

[17:00] In fact, in Mark 4, there's another account of a sea crossing. This time, they're on their way to the land of the Gerasenes, and huge storm.

[17:17] His disciples are freaking out. They think they're going to die. And what is Jesus doing in the stern of the boat? He's sleeping. Because this is no big deal. And you want to know something else?

[17:29] In Mark 6, 48, Mark says, he meant to pass them by. Apparently, he wasn't planning on stopping.

[17:43] This was going to be a drive-by walking on the water. And it gives further emphasis that this is no big deal.

[17:56] Everybody's going to be fine. This chaos maker isn't going to harm Jesus.

[18:08] And what becomes clear in this moment is this. The chaos maker that both Jesus and his disciples are experiencing isn't affecting Jesus in the same way it's affecting his disciples.

[18:22] Maybe a better way to say it is like this. The storm at sea is an announcement of the arrival of the king of all creation walking on the water.

[18:43] The water molecules of the Sea of Galilee at this moment were defying normal physics in order to serve the will of their creator and king.

[18:55] And as he comes near the boat, the disciples, they're freaking out. They think that they're seeing a ghost because someone incarnate does not walk on top of the water.

[19:13] It's from the darkness. It's out from the storm. It's outside the boat that Jesus says, it is I.

[19:26] Do not be afraid. Do you remember how God spoke to Job at the end of Job? He spoke to him out of a whirlwind.

[19:40] Do you remember when God appears to Moses in Exodus 3 in the burning bush? Moses stopped because this was quite the sight. There was a bush that was being burned by, consumed by fire, but it wasn't being consumed.

[19:54] And out of the bush, God speaks. Take off your sandals, Moses. You are standing on holy ground. And then God introduces himself to Moses with his memorial name.

[20:10] I am who I am. And when he tells Moses to go to Pharaoh, to tell him to let my people go, Moses says, who do I say sent me?

[20:21] And God says, tell them I am sent you. I am. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, it's ego ami. Ego ami.

[20:38] Now isn't this an extraordinary sight? The incarnate Son of God walking on the water without sinking. That's kind of a burning bush kind of strangeness.

[20:52] It's extraordinary. That little phrase in Greek, ego ami, it is I. It could be the typical greeting that you would greet one another on the street.

[21:03] Or if I came to your house, knocked on your door, knock, knock, knock, you say, who is it? And I would say, ego ami. It's me. And you'd recognize my voice. It's Mike.

[21:13] It's Mike. But given the context here, the darkness, the chaos, this sense of awe, I believe this ego ami is Jesus revealing himself to his disciples on his terms.

[21:37] He's saying, I am the great incarnate I am. We'll encounter another one of these I am's in chapter 8 of John where Jesus says, before Abraham was I am, the Jews pick up stones to stone him for blasphemy because they think he's claiming to be God and no human claims to be God unless you're a human who is actually God.

[22:04] If you would just turn in your Bibles a couple pages to the left to John chapter 1 I just want to remind you of who this son of God this Jesus is.

[22:22] Chapter 1 verse 1 In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made.

[22:35] The word is the creator of all. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us verse 14 and we have seen his glory. Glory is of the only son from the father full of grace and truth.

[22:49] 17 For the law was given through Moses grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. If you flip in your Bible to the book of Hebrews which is at towards the end of your Bible if you've got a pew Bible it's on page what page is this?

[23:04] 1187 long ago at many times in many ways is chapter 1 but in these God spoke to our fathers by the prophets but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son whom he appointed the heir of all things through whom also he created the world he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature and he the son upholds the universe by the word of his power.

[23:32] we're not living in a random functioning universe every molecule in the universe is being upheld by the glorious son of God.

[23:49] If you want to look at Colossians just one more just to for you to see this this is Colossians 1 verses 15 and 16 he Jesus is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things were created through him and for him everything that has been created has been created for him he is the king of all creation he's the one who spoke everything into existence in Genesis 1 out of darkness and of chaos he is the one who in Jonah 1 4 he just kind of flicks a tempest onto the sea in order to move his prophet get him from going to Tarshish to get him to Nineveh he is the one in Psalm 107 who is who is making the waves go high and go low he is the one of Acts 27 who throws another tempest onto the sea in order to get

[24:55] Paul where he wants Paul to go this great incarnate I am is the king of all creation which means this this chaos maker on the sea of Galilee is a tool that Jesus is using to reveal himself to his disciples he's not afraid of the storm the darkness the wind the waves because he created it all and it all serves him he created it all and it all serves him it is I ego of me do not be afraid why aren't we to be afraid why aren't the disciples to be afraid because their chaos making event is not bigger than the great incarnate I am with them the king of all creation and in verse 21 when they realize who it is there's a mid-sea transformation but he said to them it is I do not be afraid verse 21 then they were glad they've gone from being frightened to being glad that's a transformation and the difference is recognizing who it is that just got into their boat you have chaos you have a revelation in the midst of the chaos and then you have transformation that happens as a result do not be afraid the king of creation who rules all chaos is with them in the boat so we move from this revelation at sea now to this arrival from the chaos now this is where I need some some assembly participation are you willing to help me say yes or no

[27:24] I don't think I heard anyone say no have you ever heard the front end of a kayak or a canoe or a pontoon run aground on a sandy shore what does that sound like yeah I like to use shh will you do that shh now I know you're not telling me to shut up you're making the noise of a boat running up on a sandy shore now I want you to give me a loud shh that was good but after I read this I'll point to you but he said to them it is I do not be afraid then they were glad to take him into the boat and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going immediately both Mark and Matthew include that when Jesus got in the boat the wind ceased so when

[28:40] Jesus gets into the boat not only does the windy wavy chaos end they immediately run aground at shore Jesus is revealed and then he delivers now what what do you think John was thinking when he included this detail about them immediately running aground on the shore shh here it is it's a contrast without Jesus the disciples were overwhelmed by this chaos maker at sea they were fearful frightened frustrated fatigued they were isolated they were feeling vulnerable feeling small they had been paddling for hours and they were feeling like this chaos was bigger than them because it was and this is being contrasted with

[29:49] Jesus when the great incarnate I am the king of all creation when he gets into their boat before any of their oars can touch the water they run aground the detail is included in order to heighten the point of the one who walks on the water this great incarnate I am this king of all creation who gets into their boat he reigns over all listen to this this is John a section from John Psalm 107 some went down to the sea and ships doing business on the great waters they saw the deeds of the Lord his wondrous works in the deep for he commanded and raised the stormy wind which lifted up the waves of the sea they mounted up to the heaven they went down to the depths their courage melted away in their evil plight they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits ends!

[31:03] Now what would you have done if you were in the boat with Jesus when it runs aground to the sandy shore I'm guessing you would have said who is this guy who rules the waves and the wind I think you'd be in awe of the one in the boat with you I think you'd be grateful even for the chaos maker that made it all possible here's the point of the passage

[32:04] Jesus reveals himself on his terms and he reveals himself here in the midst of chaos as the great incarnate I am the king of all creation and this is really good news for us all I mean we're living 2,000 years later and it's not like we're paddling boats on the sea of Galilee right but we are regularly encountering our own chaos makers and they can make us feel afraid they can make us feel fatigued fragile frustrated isolated hopeless we're tempted to blame shift yet here's the good news Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever the same Jesus who is the great incarnate I am the king of all creation is the same Jesus today he revealed himself to the disciples in the chaos of wind and waves and he's more than able to reveal himself in your chaos of your wild child of your cancer of your flooded basement of your unexpected change

[33:25] Jesus is greater than your chaos he's the great I am the king of all creation now today so let's apply this I've got four principles let's see if I can get through them quickly principle number one nothing even your chaos is outside his providence there's no chaos maker that is greater than Jesus not even close now this will challenge how the way you interpret your experiences because most of us tend to interpret it our chaotic circumstances as though they're somehow disconnected from the reign of Jesus that they are kind of like living on their own but according to Hebrews 1 Jesus holds all things together by the word of his power every molecule does its bidding his bidding so pick your chaos maker

[34:34] Jesus is over it Jesus is over your chaos second principle your chaotic circumstance is his sanctifying tool we've just seen it he used the wind the waves the darkness the fear the fatigue the frustration to prepare the hearts of his disciples for his revealing he's working all things out for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose and that good is to treasure Christ and to become like Christ that's the good so he uses chaos making to open our hearts reveal himself and transform us so here's the call let the chaos making you're in let the chaos making that

[35:41] God has brought about into your life let that chaos maker humble you let it have its humbling effect so when you're confronted with your weakness and your fragility and your smallness and that that your life is just a vapor when you're confronted with that be on the lookout for the great incarnate I am even go as far as to say you're overwhelmed by your chaos and you say out show me your glory reveal yourself to me and then put your nose in your Bible the hardship of chaos is the most effective tool in God's sanctifying toolbox!

[36:32] He has brought chaos into your life and you get to say show me your glory He's over your chaos He is using your chaos and His presence is our assurance in the chaos He got into the boat He got into the boat with them He didn't stay outside the boat He didn't walk by them He got into the boat with them they were terrified and then they were glad because the great incarnate I am the king of all creation got into the boat with them if you're a Christian God's in your boat he's promised to always be with you even in the chaos Matthew 28 and lo I'm with you always even to the end of the age

[37:32] Hebrews 13 I will never leave you nor forsake you Psalm 23 even though I walk through the shadow of chaos death I will fear no evil for you are with me Psalm 16 8 I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand he is with me I will not be shaken so not only is he over your chaos not only is using your chaos he is with you in your chaos and fourth and finally he will bring us home through the chaos our lives are but a vapor according to James we learn from our Bibles that we're we're our 70 80 years are like grass here one day gone the next if you are in your 50s 60s or 70s give me an amen when I say it goes by fast it does and if

[38:38] Jesus was able to deliver his disciples in a boat that ran upon sandy beach how much more will the great I am the king of all creation the one who shed his blood for you the one who's promised that he will never forsake you that he will always be with you the one who says I will hold you in my hand as well as the father's hand how much more will he bring you to the golden shore of the new earth that's where you're heading Christian this isn't home he is going to bring us through chaos after chaos he's our hope he will bring us home to the golden shore in the midst of chaos he is over your chaos he is using your chaos he is with you in your chaos and he will bring you through the chaos to his golden shore the promised land of perfect peace because

[39:52] Jesus is the great I am the king of all creation you don't need to fear the chaos makers in your life you get to look to him and trust in him in the midst of it and we get to help one another look to him and trust him in the midst of it he revealed himself in the chaos of the sea of Galilee but that's not even the greatest revelation yet in the gospel of John the greatest revelation is when this great incarnate I am the king of all creation is glorified as he hangs on the chaos of the cross to deliver you and me from an eternity of God's wrath may we bless his holy name would you pray with me Lord Jesus forgive us for belittling you in our thoughts forgive us for thinking that the chaos that we are experiencing is somehow disconnected from you and your plan there's nothing random that we're experiencing you work always for our good for those brothers and sisters right now who are in the midst of chaos feeling small fatigued frustrated strung out

[41:26]  Lord Jesus would you reveal yourself to them in a fresh and mighty way remind them that you are with them in the boat that you reign over all and that you are with them Lord Jesus all praise and glory be to your name amen