Well, good morning. It's good to see you all here. It's a glorious day. I feel like we got a taste of spring.
We'll be tasting it for the next four months, in and out.
If you're new to Connecticut this year, welcome to Connecticut.
I don't know if any of you are sailors. I would not call myself a true sailor, but I grew up with the privilege of sailing on little boats, sunfish usually, in little ponds in Massachusetts, and then on the shore of Lake Erie.
And I've told you some. If you've been here for a while, you've heard a little bit about the house that our family has on the north shore of Lake Erie.
And there was one day that is remarkable. And forgive me if I've already told this story once, but I'm going to tell it again.
I was probably about 10 or 11, and me and my two older brothers, so I was 10 or 11, they were 13 and 15,
got onto this old sunfish with a little bit of a leak, so it was a bit of a waterlogged hull,
and the rudder had a problem that if there was too much stress on it, it would pop out and lose grip in the water.
But we decided on this beautiful day with a strong prevailing southwest wind on Lake Erie,
which if you're on the north shore, creates lots of waves, probably two or three foot waves.
We decided, what a great day to go sailing.
And so we put on our life jackets, we hopped on the boat, three of us on a sunfish, which if you know a sunfish, that's full.
There's no more extra room after that.
And headed out across the bay.
And we got out through the breakers and out into the swells, and my brother, who's at the back, said,
all right, ready about hard to lee.
And he pushed the rudder over, and the boat started to swerve.
And then it stopped.
And then the wind hit the sail, and it got pushed back onto its course again.
And we kept trying.
And the wind blew, and the waves pushed.
And again and again, we got pushed back.
And we, back onto the track that we were.
We even tried, my brother even tried, getting out of the boat and swimming the bow around.
But with the wind and the waves, we were in trouble.
We had visions of sailing down Niagara River, wondering what happens when you get to Niagara Falls in a sailboat.
Friends, sometimes our lives can feel like the headwinds and the waves are pretty strong, can't they?
Sometimes the circumstances of our lives feel like the waves are pounding, and the winds are relentless,
and we are weary, and we don't know whether we have what we need to keep going.
What do we need the most in these circumstances?
Well, we are in a series in the book of Mark,
and we are continuing to read through the gospel of Mark
so that we might see Jesus more clearly.
And our passage points us to what God thinks is the answer to that question of what do we need most.
So, if you want to turn in your pew Bibles, it's page 791.
We're in Mark chapter 6, starting in verse 45.
And just as you turn there, remember that this is right on the heels of Jesus,
miraculously feeding 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread.
So, they had just seen God do something amazing,
and there was a large crowd there, and it must have been pretty exciting.
So, Mark chapter 6, verse 45.
Immediately, he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side,
to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.
And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was strong against them.
For the wind was against them.
And about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea.
He meant to pass them by.
But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
For they all saw him and were terrified.
But immediately he spoke and said to them, he 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 loaves.
But their hearts were hardened.
And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret,
and moored to the shore.
And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him
and ran around the whole region and began to bring sick people on their beds
to wherever they heard he was.
And wherever he came in villages, cities, and countryside,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him
that they might touch even the fringe of his garment.
And as many as touched it were made well.
Friends, let's pray together.
God, as we come to this passage this morning,
we pray that you would give us, by your Holy Spirit, fresh eyes.
Fresh eyes and soft hearts and sharp minds.
Lord, so that we might see the truth here,
so that we might understand it rightly,
so that we might receive it from you.
God, I pray for your help this morning.
Help me to speak your word as I ought,
that it might be a blessing to all of us.
And may we together this morning sit under your word, we pray.
Oh, Lord, in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So as we look at this account,
we're going to look at four things.
So here's your outline for those who are outline takers.
We're going to look at the disciples' situation.
We're going to look at Jesus' plan.
Then we're going to look at Jesus' words.
And we're going to look at our response.
So let's look through this and think about it together.
First, the disciples' situation.
Now remember what we've just heard and seen,
what came before this.
They had seen Jesus do amazing things, right?
They had just gone out earlier in chapter 6.
They went out on a mission.
And they themselves not only proclaimed the kingdom of God,
but saw the kingdom of God as people were healed
and demons were cast out.
They had come back and they had seen Jesus
miraculously turn five loaves of fish
into a Chick-fil-A on a Sunday afternoon,
feeding thousands of people.
They were also weary.
If you remember, they went away.
They went on the mission.
They came back.
They tried to go away to the mountains for rest.
And the crowd found them there.
And that's why Jesus had to feed them
because they were supposed to be away from the crowds.
And they're weary from their mission,
weary from the work that they had.
And Jesus knew this.
And so Jesus said, boys, get in the boat.
Get in the boat.
Go to the other side.
I'll meet you over there.
But what would have normally been a fairly short
and doable journey became difficult.
Right?
In the middle of the night,
they were still out on the sea facing headwinds.
And they were wearied.
Maybe in that moment,
they wondered, had God abandoned them?
So the disciples, having seen great things,
but now weary of the work
and facing a challenging situation.
Maybe you find yourself somewhere like this today.
Maybe there are headwinds that you were facing this morning.
Maybe your labor at home,
the endless demands of caring for young kids,
becoming overwhelming.
Maybe the whirlwind of juggling your career and home responsibilities
feels like an unending rat race.
Maybe you are in the process of feeling the wearying effect of aging
and the ongoing capacity challenge of figuring out,
what can I do and how can I continue to live and serve?
Maybe some of you are facing cultural resistance
and pushback for your life choices
and living out your convictions in the world.
Some of you may be drained and weary from your work here at church,
the weariness of pouring out your life in love for others.
Some of you are facing physical suffering of various kinds
and are exhausted because of it.
Some of you know the incredible exhaustion
of relational trials,
of broken relationships,
of conflict,
unresolved,
hard work,
trying to work through them.
The disciples face their headwinds.
We face ours.
And Jesus has a plan.
Jesus has a plan for them,
but it is not the plan that we most want them to see.
So what Jesus did, right,
he saw them with the crowd and he sent them away, right?
He wasn't interested in them being able to bask in the glory of feeding the 5,000.
He's like,
okay, boys,
we're done.
Go.
Right?
And he sends them into a storm.
And Jesus isn't dumb.
He knows that the storm might,
that the wind might come up.
In fact,
it was fairly well known.
If you're a fisherman on,
on the Sea of Galilee,
that at night,
there was a strong wind that would often come up at sundown.
So he knew what he was sending them into.
And,
and he did it anyway.
Just a side note,
we ought not to be surprised by the headwinds in our lives.
For Jesus told us that this would happen.
In this world,
you will have tribulation,
but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.
He said to his disciples,
he said to the crowds,
all you who are weary and heavy laden,
knowing that this weariness and burden bearing will be a part of life in this world.
Do not be surprised when you face these various trials.
But Jesus sent them out where he knows they will face a difficulty.
And instead of going with them or even warning them,
he goes in another direction.
He goes up onto a mountain to pray.
Because Jesus knows that his greatest need in that moment
is to go be with his heavenly father.
Jesus often did this after big events.
And he shows his dependence on God,
the father,
as he,
the incarnate son of God walks the earth.
So Mark tells this story.
They're out on the boat.
He's up on the mountain.
He comes down.
It appears.
It's not clear exactly where he is.
It says,
evening came,
and he saw them out on the water
and that they were having difficulty.
But remarkably,
even then,
he does not rush to their aid.
We often read this story
and we think,
this is a rescue story.
Jesus is going to go rescue the floundering disciples.
It's not a rescue story.
Right?
Jesus stays on the shore
until the three in the morning,
it seems.
Right?
He doesn't go immediately to them.
He waits.
And why is this?
Look with me at verse 48.
If you're looking at your Bible,
I'll read it again.
And he saw that they were making headway painfully
for the wind was against them.
And about the fourth watch of the night,
that's kind of between three and six in the morning,
so near the end of the night,
he came to them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
What does that mean?
But what it does mean,
very clearly,
is that he didn't come to rescue them.
He had another intention.
He meant to pass by them.
What could that mean?
It could mean he's just like,
well, I can walk on water,
I'm going to go to the other side
and I'll see you guys there,
you'll be fine.
I don't think that's it.
I don't think that's what it is.
I think that there's an echo here
from the Old Testament, actually,
that's really helpful.
Passing by was something that God did
in particular circumstances
when he wanted to reveal himself
in a particular personal way
to his servants.
So in 1 Kings 19,
Elijah thought he was alone
fighting against the prophets of Baal
in the brokenness of Israel.
God comes to him and he passes by him.
Maybe most famously,
in Exodus 33,
Moses is meeting with God up on Mount Sinai.
God was sending Moses to lead his people
and Moses says,
God, you've got to show me your glory.
And this is what Exodus 33, 18 says.
Moses says,
please show me your glory.
And the Lord says,
listen carefully to it for it.
I will make all my goodness pass before you
and will proclaim before you my name,
the Lord.
And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious
and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
But he said,
you cannot see my face
for a man shall not see me and live.
And the Lord said,
behold, there is a place by me
where you shall stand on the rock.
And while my glory passes by,
I will put you in the cleft of the rock
and I will cover you with my hand
until I have passed by.
Friends, this is what Jesus is doing.
Just as Moses then in chapter 34
that we read earlier,
heard God and saw the backside of his glory
and heard the pronouncement
of what kind of God he was,
a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding
in steadfast love and faithfulness.
So Jesus intended to pass by
in order to show his glory to his disciples.
How did he do this?
Well, he walked on water.
So I want to stop here for a minute
because if we've read Bible stories,
if you've grown up in church,
you just think,
oh yeah, he walked on water,
whatever, that's a bit nothing.
He walked on water.
What does that mean?
It means that to the disciples
who were fighting against the wind and the waves,
he was the Lord of the wind and the waves.
He created the molecules.
He was able to make them solid
so that his feet would not sink
but stand on that water.
And in the face of the waves
that crashed around him,
he comes unhindered.
In the face of the wind that blow,
it has no power over him
because Jesus didn't come
simply to rescue them.
He came to show them who he was,
that he had created all of this world
that these disciples were navigating.
He wanted to show that he was not only the creator
but the sustainer of all nature.
And yes, he walked on water.
It is a supernatural thing
and some of us are scientists here
and we wrestle with,
how can that be?
But here's the thing.
When the creator of all things,
when the creator of the natural world
steps into that creation,
he is still a supernatural being.
He is above those things
and he is the Lord over them.
And this is what Jesus is showing his disciples
as he walks on water,
intending to pass them by
so that they could see.
Do you see these headwinds?
Do you feel these waves?
I am the Lord of all of them.
Jesus wants them to see
what the apostle Paul later writes about Jesus,
that he is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
By him all things were created
in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers
or authorities or winds or waves.
That's an expansion of the passage.
Winds or waves,
all things were created through him
and for him.
And he is before all things
and in him all things hold together.
This is what Jesus wanted them to see.
Right?
Jesus wanted them to see that he was the Lord
over all of it.
And the amazing thing is he didn't come
and make the wind stop
and the waves stop immediately, did he?
That wasn't his intention.
Friends, how often do we
just want God to step in
in order to fix our problems?
We think if only this would be taken away,
if only this would be provided,
if this part of my circumstances could change,
then I could keep going.
But God has something better for us than that.
He has himself.
But the disciples don't see Jesus clearly.
Rather than seeing him in his power
and being encouraged and refreshed,
they see him.
In verse 48, 49, what are they?
They're filled with fear.
They're terrified.
They cry out, it's a ghost.
And so in compassion,
Jesus, who was intending to pass them by
to display his glory,
speaks a word to them.
So we've seen the disciples' situation.
We've seen Jesus' plan
to display himself to them.
Now we hear his words.
What great words they are
for the weary, exhausted disciples to hear.
Take heart.
It is I.
Do not be afraid.
And look, even at this point,
he hasn't calmed the winds and the waves.
Right?
What he's saying is,
what you most need,
what you really need,
is me.
Take heart, friends.
Don't lose that heart
because I am with you.
You don't need to be afraid
that I'm something else.
You don't need to be afraid
that you're alone in this.
I know you're weary,
but I am here.
I know you're terrified,
but it is I.
And friends,
every Jewish reader
hearing Jesus say,
it is I,
couldn't fail but hear
the echoes again of Moses
in the book of Exodus
as he was out on the backside of Midian
tending sheep,
and he saw a bush that was burned
but not consumed,
and God spoke to him in that moment,
and he said,
Moses,
I am calling you
to go and be the one
who will deliver my people from Egypt.
And when Moses says,
I don't even know who you are,
God says,
I am.
I am that I am.
And this is what it would sound like
to the ears of these Jewish fishermen
as they would resound
with this remembrance
that Jesus is saying,
I am the God of Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob.
I am the God of the universe,
but I'm also the God of your people.
And I am here.
And because I am here,
you don't need to be afraid.
The disciples might have wondered,
and maybe you wonder too.
Okay, so they're in the boat.
The wind is still blowing.
The waves are still crashing.
How is this good news
that Jesus is there?
Because what Jesus brings
in his person
is even better
than what he does
with our circumstances.
Friends,
this is the very heart
of the gospel.
This is the very heart
of what we believe
as Christians.
That the one
who revealed himself
as Lord
over all the physical universe,
he is also the one
who created
the spiritual universe
as well.
He knows all
of the dynamics
of what it would be
for us
as spiritual beings
to be rightly
related to God.
And he knows
that the greatest storm
in our life
is not our circumstances.
It's not the things
outside of us,
but it's the things
inside of us.
It is the storm
of our sin
that rages
in our hearts
that most threatens us.
Our lust
for power,
for pleasure,
for love,
for belonging,
for meaning,
that's gone wrong
as we sought
to do it
apart from God.
The self
that rises up
against its creator
and says,
I don't need you.
The spirit
of Adam and Eve
that said,
I would rather
be God
in my own life
than trust God,
the one who is.
Jesus knows
that this is
the greatest storm
and this storm
brings destruction
and death
into our hearts.
And he knows
that it would provoke
a right
and perfectly good God
to bring judgment
upon our hearts
because of it.
But just like
the disciples
as they're facing
their storm,
Jesus comes to us
in this spiritual storm.
This is what
he has done
as he has come
and shown his love
by taking on human form,
by walking with us
and most importantly,
by going through
the storm
of the crucifixion
and death
that he endured
on the cross.
It is there
as he enters
into that storm
for us
in our place
that we see
his glory,
that we see
the greatness
of his mercy
and grace,
his justice
and righteousness
married together
in the death
of Jesus
so that the righteousness
of God
might be vindicated,
so that the goodness
of creation
might be restored
and so that we
might be saved
out of this storm.
God
and his greatest
act
is not any
of these miracles
that he did
while he walked
on earth.
His greatest act
is that three days
later,
he rose from the dead.
Friends,
think about how
beautiful this is
because death
is both a spiritual
and a physical reality
and when Jesus
rose from the dead,
he said,
I am Lord
of all of it
and I am the conqueror
over it.
no longer
will death
have sway
in this world
because I have
risen from the dead.
He rose
so that he might
demonstrate
that he is the Lord
over that
and he comes
to us
and he says,
it is I,
do not be afraid.
When you are
joined with me,
you are joined
with me by faith
into my death
and into my resurrection
and the storm
of sin
is no longer yours
because I have
taken it on myself
and instead,
you have new life.
You have peace
with God.
So when Jesus says
the greatest thing
we have
is to be
with,
for us,
the greatest need
that we have
is for us
to be with Jesus,
it is because
when we are with Jesus
by faith,
we have
this salvation
and we have
this hope
and we have
this great assurance
that we are his
and just like he holds
the winds and the waves
in the palm of his hand,
he holds us
in the palm of his hand.
And so Jesus
in compassion
looks at the disciples
and he says,
it is I,
do not be afraid
and he gets in the boat
and the wind ceases.
So that's Jesus' words
answering the question,
what is our greatest need?
It is I,
Jesus says.
So the final part
of this passage
provokes the question,
what will our response be?
You know,
it's fascinating
when you look
at verse 51.
Kunle and I
were talking about
this last week.
It feels like Mark
is a little harsh
on the disciples,
right?
When he got in the boat
with them,
the winds ceased
and they were utterly astounded
for they did not understand
about the loaves
but their hearts
were hardened.
The disciples' hearts
in this moment
are exposed.
They see Jesus
but they don't understand.
They are astounded
and that astounded
is not simply amazed.
It's also confused
and doubting.
The word actually means
being outside of oneself.
They're like,
I can't wrap my head
around this.
I don't know how to,
I don't know how to understand this
and I don't know how to submit to it.
So here's a fascinating
little challenge
for those of you
who are Bible scholars.
When you look at the parallel story
in Matthew,
Matthew 14,
what happens at this point
is Peter says,
if it's really you,
tell me to walk on water
and he walks out
and then he looks
at the winds and the waves
and he doubts
and Jesus has to pull him
out of the water.
But at the end of that,
it says,
when he got into the boat,
they fell down
and worshipped him
and says,
surely this is the son of God.
Although Matthew makes it
very clear
that even when they confess that,
they don't really understand
what that means.
Because two chapters later
in chapter 16,
he'll start talking to them
about the cross
and they're like,
no, no, no,
it can't be that way.
What are you talking about, Jesus?
So they still don't understand, right?
Mark waits for the confession
to come much later.
It actually happens
in chapter 15
and it's in the mouth
not of the disciples
but of a Roman centurion
who watches Jesus
hang on the cross
and he says,
surely this was the son of God.
But Matthew and Mark
really are saying
the same thing
though they're telling the story
in a slightly different way.
the people
during Jesus' life
saw him
but they didn't understand him.
They called him Lord
but they did not receive him
for who he truly is.
They didn't understand
what the loaves were.
Right?
They had seen his lordship
in so many ways
healing the sick,
casting out demons,
calming the storm,
multiplying food.
Do you ever think,
you know,
it would be so much easier
for me to believe in Jesus
if he were here?
If I could touch him,
if I could see him,
if I could watch him do?
I've thought that, right?
Golly,
like it's hard to believe Jesus
that I haven't seen
but if I saw him,
man,
I would believe.
Well,
the Bible will tell us otherwise.
The Bible tells us
no instead.
Even those who saw him
did not believe.
They did not understand
and we don't need
to kid ourselves
thinking that we would be better
than them.
How often do we see him
and not truly accept him?
The testimony of Scripture
is one of the places
we can go
to address this.
This book is
a written,
ongoing revelation
of who God is
and who Jesus is
in particular.
So I point you towards it.
Study it,
read it,
meditate.
If you're here
and you're figuring out
what do I think
about Christianity?
I don't understand
what it means in the world.
Look here first.
Look at Jesus
in the Gospels.
That's the place to start.
But don't only look there
but also think about
the testimony
in your own lives.
How many times
have you seen God
at work?
Make sure you keep
an eye out
for Bonnie's testimony
because I know it
and it's really cool.
God worked in her life
in some amazing ways
to help her understand
and come to faith in Jesus.
What finally helped
the disciples
most of all
was that when they,
when Jesus rose
from the dead
they saw him
and they were able
to testify.
This is he.
The one who calmed
the winds and the waves
has conquered
sin and death.
It is the resurrected Jesus
and this is where
you want to focus
your thoughts
if you're doubting
whether Jesus
could do any of this.
look at the resurrection
of Jesus.
If it's not true
as Paul says
we are fools
most to be pitied
but if it is true
it changes everything
and this story
makes sense
because Jesus
rose from the dead.
So look there
and I would be remiss
if I didn't say
something about
verses 53 through 56
because it's a part
of our passage.
It's a summary sentence
for Mark in some ways
he's sort of wrapping
up this section
but he says
they arrive
and the crowd
gets what the disciples
didn't at one level.
Right?
Jesus arrives
and they recognize him
and they're like
the healer is here
and they're going
all over the place
pulling the sick
bringing the people
to wherever he was
believing that
even if they touched
the hem of his garment
that his healing power
would be expressed
and we know
that it has worked
and that it did work
and that Jesus
did express
his lordship
over the physical world
in these ways.
But I submit to you
that Mark puts
this summary in here
not to praise
the crowds
for their understanding
of Jesus
but to give another
example of those
who saw Jesus
but didn't truly get him
because
they came to Jesus
for what they could get
from him.
And the message
of this passage is
it is the presence
of Jesus
not what he gives us
that is the most
important thing
for us.
At the end of day
on Lake Erie
I'm thankful
my parents
pay attention.
They rushed around
getting the motorboat
into the water
they puttered out
into
through the waves
threw a rope
to us
and towed us in.
We are thankful
for their saving
that day.
They came out
to us
in order
to save us.
And friends
as you face
the storms
of the circumstances
of your life
for sure
but even more so
of the sin
in your heart
Jesus invites you
to see him
and to believe
in him.
let's pray
together.
Lord Jesus
we ask
this morning
that you would be
Lord
in
working in our hearts.
Lord show us
where we may be
unbelieving.
Lord some of us
may be familiar
with these stories
and with
the account
of Jesus
but Lord
have never truly
believed
in faith
and trusted
in
this one
to be
the savior
of our souls.
Lord some of us
here this morning
may be exploring
and trying to figure out
who is this Jesus
and why is he
so important
to some.
How do I
understand
who he truly is?
Lord some of us
Lord we may
we may know
much
about this Jesus
and yet still
find places
in our hearts
where we are
unwilling to
let him be
the Lord
over our lives.
Lord I pray
I pray this morning
that for all of us
that you would help us
to see you
as you truly are
and Lord in seeing you
that we would believe
and embrace you
knowing that your presence
is the greatest treasure
of our
of our lives.
Lord you are worthy
of our faith
of our lives
and of our worship
this morning.
We pray in Jesus name.
Amen.