The Presence We Need

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.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

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.

Mark 6:45

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

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.