Fearing Jesus

We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise.

We're going to sing in Psalm 23, the Scottish Psalter version, page 229 of the psalm books, Psalm 23.

!

The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want. He makes me down to lie in pastures green.

He leadeth me the quiet waters by.

We'll stand to sing the whole of this psalm to God's praise.

I'll not want. He makes me down to lie in pastures green.

He leadeth me the quiet waters by.

My soul he doth restore again, and he to work the name.

Within the paths of righteousness, before his soul may sing.

Hear, though I walk in death's dark hill, yet will I hear not ill.

For thou art lift me on thy own.

I'm standing on for still.

My devil, thou hast furnished, in presence of my foes.

My devil, thou hast with oil anoint, and my cup overflows.

To death's and mercy, O my life, shall surely follow me.

And in God's eyes forevermore, my dwelling place shall be.

Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you to be able to sing these words together,

to offer up worship to you in song,

and to sing these words that perhaps we've sung so often in the past,

words that we maybe even know without looking at the pages of our Bibles.

We can repeat them, but help us today to know the wonder of them,

the wonder of the Lord, our Lord Jesus as our shepherd,

the one who leads us and guides us, the one who helps us in all our lives.

Every one of us today are dependent upon you, young and old alike.

And we do ask, Lord, that together you will bless us,

that you will be with us as we come to hear of you,

to hear your word and study it together.

Bless the young ones in the Sunday school, in the creche, the tweenies, in the Bible class.

We thank you for every one of the children here and the families together as well.

And together as a people, Lord, that we would have hearts filled with a sense of joy

in coming to you and knowing that you are with us, that you meet here with us.

We thank you for even the Lord's prayer as we say it week by week.

It reminds us of how we are dependent upon you as our Father in heaven.

And we pray that even as we say these words together in a moment,

that there will be words that we may be familiar with as well,

that help us to know who it is we are praying to and what you are able to do for us.

And so may we all together know what the power of prayer is,

and we especially think of our young people going through exams at this time,

that they would do so with that knowledge that they can ask you for help,

that they can ask you for guidance, and that you are there for them.

And we do pray for them, for all our children,

and we just pray for exam periods ahead.

Just now, Lord, that you would give clarity and help in all that they have to do.

Bless us and we pray and watch over us as we ask all with the forgiveness of our sins.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, I was just praying there about exams,

and maybe it's the last thing you want to hear about just now when you're going into May

and the exams are starting for those who are older in the higher classes.

But every one of us has to face tests at different points in our life.

And especially as we're going through school, we do different kinds of tests as we're going through school.

And one of the tests we often have is listening tests.

So who's good at listening? Hands up if you're good at listening.

Many people say, what?

You weren't listening, were you?

Listening is a skill.

It's something we have to learn and to pay attention to things that we are hearing.

But it's often a difficult thing for us to do because we're easily distracted.

So I want to give you a little test just now.

I'm going to read some verses from Psalm 81.

And I want you to listen out for words that are related to hearing.

And I think the teachers, when they're in school, they do this, do they?

So that you have to listen in.

You have to listen carefully to these words.

I'm going to read Psalm 81 at verse 8 down to verse 13.

Hear, my people, let me warn you, if you would but listen now.

No strange God shall be among you.

To a false God do not bow.

I have brought you up from Egypt, from your own God, the Lord am I.

Open wide your mouth towards me, and your food I will supply.

But my people would not listen, would not do what I required.

So I gave them up to follow what their stubborn hearts desired.

If my people would but heed me, Israel follow my command.

I would soon subdue their enemies and against them turn my hand.

So, how many times there did you hear something related to listening?

It comes up quite often there, doesn't it?

The word listen is there twice.

The word hear is the first word that was mentioned.

Hear, my people.

And then there was the word heed in verse 13 as well.

So four times at least you could say there's a word there that's to do with listening.

And so God is speaking there, and so it's important, as he says, hear, listen, heed, all of these things to us.

And that's what's important for us as we come to God's word, as we're hearing it here, as we're hearing it in our Sunday school classes too, that we listen.

Now, what do we need in order to listen?

Listen, first of all, we need to stop.

Stop what we're doing and just pause so that we're sitting ready to listen.

The other thing we need is quietness.

If there was loads of noise going on around us, if there was a building site or something outside and people were working away there,

and there's so much noise around, we wouldn't be able to hear, so we need quietness to be able to hear.

And the third thing we need is focus.

To listen is to listen as it's going on.

I mean, when you're in the house, do you listen to everything mum and dad say to you?

At what point do you stop listening?

They'll shout your name, so they maybe shout,

Callum, come and do, and that's when you stop listening.

Do, no, I'm not going to listen anymore.

I don't want to do anything but what I want to do myself.

We need to focus.

And God is calling us all today to come and to stop and to focus and to listen and to do.

And so today we have to stop, hear, listen, and heed the word of God.

May he give us that skill, that ability to listen and to hear what he is saying to us.

We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together now.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

We're going to sing together again to God's praise this time

in Psalm 107, the Scottish Psalter version, page 384.

Psalm 107, and at verse 23,

page 384 of the psalm books.

And then we're reminded of the passage that we're looking at today,

how Jesus is able to bring calm into the midst of a storm.

And in verse 29, it says that the storm is changed into a calm

at his command and will.

We're going to sing from verse 23 to 30 to God's praise.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Which makes the sea with roaring wings

I want to swell and rise

If unto heaven and to the dead

They do all come again

Their soul of pain can melt away

With love alone with fear

They relapse stagger like wonder

At their waves in daily

Then they do come in trouble cry

Who then from straits are free

The storm is changed into account

At his command and will

So that the waves which raged before

Now quiet and still

Then are they not because of rest

And quiet the lady

So to the lady

I will turn to read God's word together now in the gospel of Mark

And chapter 6

Mark chapter 6

Mark 6 · chapter mention

We take up our reading at verse 30

You find it around page 1015

Of the church Bibles

Mark chapter 6 at verse 30

Mark 6 · chapter mention

The apostles returned to Jesus

And told him all that they had done and taught

And he said to them

Come away by yourselves

To a desolate place and rest a while

For many were coming and going

And they had no leisure even to eat

And they went away in the boat

To a desolate place by themselves

Now many saw them going and recognized them

And they ran there on foot from all the towns

And got there ahead of them

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd

And he had compassion on them

Because they were like sheep without a shepherd

And he began to teach them many things

And when it grew late

His disciples came to him

And said

This is a desolate place

And the hour is now late

Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages

And buy themselves something to eat

But he answered them

You give them something to eat

And they said to him

Shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread

And give it to them to eat

And he said to them

How many loaves do you have?

Go and see

And when they had found out

They said five and two fish

Then he commanded them all

To sit down in groups on the green grass

So they sat down in groups by hundreds and by fifties

And taking the five loaves and the two fish

He looked up to heaven

And said a blessing

And broke the loaves

And gave them to the disciples

To set before the people

And he divided the two fish among them all

And they all ate and were satisfied

And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces

And of fish

And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men

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 sea

And he was alone on the land

And he saw that they were making headway painfully

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 by them

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 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 so on

And may God bless that reading from his word

We'll again come to God in prayer

Let us pray

Our Father in heaven

As we approach your word

We do so

Recognising

Our own lack of understanding

And even

As the disciples here

Were seeing and hearing

The wonders of Jesus

It says

Their hearts were hardened

And we know ourselves

That that can be true

At times in our own experience

Perhaps even we come in here today

With that sense of

Of hardness

Of not coming to listen

But maybe just coming

And just to show

Our face here

And to put others at ease

That we have come

But we thank you

That as we come

We come under

What is your word

A living

And an active word

And a word that is powerful

A word that we see there

That is still through to this day

That Jesus as he spoke

Had the power to calm

Even the wind itself

And the waves of the sea

And we thank you

That that is true for us today as well

That you are the one

Who is able to calm us

And to change out every situation

That seems so powerless to us

That we have no ability

To change anything

In and of ourselves

But your word reminds us

That you are the one

Who is able

And so we come in prayer to you

Depending on you

Depending on you

For all things

From the beginning of a day

To the end

And even through the watches

Of the night

When we may

Be unaware of everything

Going on around us

When we are in the depths of sleep

We thank you

That you are one

Who is constantly awake

Never slumbering

Nor sleeping

As the psalmist says

But that you are always

Watching over your people

That your presence is near

And in all our cares

And all our anxieties

And all our thanksgivings

We thank you

That we can come

And bring them all to you

As the one who hears us

That you hear us

Through the name of your son

Our Lord and saviour

Jesus Christ

And as we have read of him

And how he prayed

To you himself

We thank you

That even as he was dependent

In all things

That we too are as well

And so Lord

We thank you

That we come

Through a name

Above every name

That we offer up our prayers

In and through

The name of Jesus

And so hear us

Lord we ask

And may your will be done

And may all be

To your glory

And we do ask

Oh Lord

For all our different needs today

And the needs of those around us

We thank you

That again

You are the one

The one who is able to comfort

The one who is able to heal

The one who is able to help

In any and every circumstance

And we know Lord

The many around us

Who need you

In particular ways

And especially

Oh Lord

In times of

Of grief and sorrow

As in our own midst

Lord

There are

Those who grieve

And those

Who we know

Even in our own denomination

Who are grieving today

In the midst of loss

We thank you

That you are

A God of all comfort

And so throughout

Our communities today

May that comfort

Be evident

In special ways

That people

Would know

The everlasting arms

Underneath

Upholding

And strengthening

We do remember

Even those

In our own denomination

Who have been servants

To you

And who have been

Taken to glory

As we have heard

Of the passing

Of the Reverend Ian Allen

In these days

We thank you

For his life

And for his ministry

In different places

And over many years

We do

Lord

Give thanks

For the word

That he preached

So faithfully

And pray Lord

That even

It would still

Continue

To bear fruit

We do pray Lord

For comfort

For his family

That you will

Surround them

In these times

We thank you

Of the Macphersion family

The Reverend John Macphersion

And his wife Catherine

In the sad news

Of the sudden loss

Of a son Malcolm

We pray Lord

That you will

Surround them

And comfort them

As only you can

And Dave Macphersion

As well

The Reverend Dave Macphersion

And his brother

In Govan too

Lord

We just pray Lord

For him and his family

As well

And in this time

Of grief Lord

That you would be one

Who is very near

And we know too Lord

That there are those

Who are going through

Ill health

And so many different trials

And we just commit

Each one to you

And Lord

When they cannot pray

That they would feel

That they could ask

For prayer

Or that they would know

That there are people

Praying for them

And we do ask

Oh Lord

That you will

Just go before us

In all of these things

We thank you Lord

Of our nation

And all that's going on

As we know

The various issues

Going on in parliaments

At this time

We thank you

For your hearing of prayer

And so many different things

To do with the gender recognition

And we thank you Lord

For the way that you are able

To turn the tide in that

And we thank you

Of the upcoming

Assisted Suicide Bill

And we pray Lord

For wisdom

And for your intervention

And those who maybe have

Leanings towards it

That they would be convinced

Otherwise

For we know that

Life is precious

And life is in your hands

And we know that

Although there can be

So much that will be

Painted as intended for good

That we see it

Oh Lord

In the wider picture

That it can be used

Oh Lord

In so many wicked ways

And so we pray Lord

That you would come

In a day of your power

And heal our land

And pour blessing upon us

To see your goodness

And your mercy with us

In all of these things

We pray that for the world

In which we live in as well

A world in so much turmoil

A world with so much conflict

And hatred being showered

Upon so many

In so many different ways

We see Lord

A stirring of anger

In so many places

And we just pray for peace

May your peace come

And so Lord

Hear our prayers

And give our people

Ears to listen

To hear what you are saying to us

As you call us

To bow the knee before you

May you open hearts and minds

To receive the wonder of the gospel

That we would be astounded

Even as the disciples were

In this passage that we've read

That people would be astounded

At what you are able to do

And to do for good

So hear our prayers

Continue with us

And go before us

In the rest of this day

That's all we ask

We ask for the forgiveness

Of our sin

In Jesus' name

Amen

Well before we come back

To look at this passage

We'll sing again

To God's praise

In Psalm 62

In the Sing Psalms version

Psalm 62

On page 79

Of the Psalm books

We're going to sing

From verse 1

Down to verse 8

Psalm 62

On page 79

My soul finds rest

In God alone

From him comes my salvation sure

My safety fortress

Sheltering rock

In him alone

I am secure

We'll sing from verse 1 to 8

And we stand to sing

To God's praise

In the Sing Psalms

And we stand to sing

To God's praise

In God alone

From him comes my salvation sure

My safety fortress

Shelter secure

In the Singwasser

And his hope

And his hope

And his hope

From his high place

They take delight

In spreading eyes

With force

And fighting

Clouds may bless

But in

Thy hearts

Are times

Despite

I rest

My soul

And brought

Alone

In him

My hope

Is ever

Burture

My safety forecast shall be brought, in him alone I am secure.

I own the land's salvation rest, on God my rock and my deep heart.

O people, trust in him always, to him alone for a pure heart.

We can turn back to a reading in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

I'm reading again at verse 48.

Mark, chapter 6, at verse 48.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

And he saw that they were making headway painfully, 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 by them.

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 to them and said,

Take heart, it is I.

Do not be afraid.

Are you afraid to follow Jesus?

You may have come in here today just thinking,

I just want to come and go and maybe not truly hear what the Word of God is saying,

because you may be afraid of what it might say to you,

what difference it might make in your life.

Are you afraid to follow Jesus, to hear what he says?

Well, you're not alone.

It's not a new thing.

It's there from the beginning of time.

It'll be there till the return of the Lord Jesus.

There'll be a sense of fear in terms of what Jesus means.

And sometimes it's a good thing to be afraid.

It's a good thing to be afraid because it can make us look for what the right answer is

and where help can be found in our fear.

And as you're reading here in the Gospel of Mark,

as you're looking at the first half of the Gospel of Mark,

it's full of accounts of Jesus revealing himself to the people in so many different ways.

You see there's many miracles that he's done,

so many teachings that he's given,

and people were marveling.

And you think to yourself,

well, the more they're seeing,

the more they'll believe,

the more people that there will be that will believe.

But yes, there were some who believed,

but there was many who turned away

and many who were afraid

because he was preaching a truth to them

that they couldn't fully understand.

So truth and fear are often things that go together.

There can be anxiety in the midst of hearing truth

and you're wondering,

is it true?

You think even of this coming week,

it marks 80 years

since VE Day,

Victory in Europe Day,

when the Second World War

came to an end,

when peace came.

And you can imagine

the differing emotions

that would have been throughout the country

at that time.

So many mixed emotions,

so many tears flowing,

tears of joy and tears of sadness

mixed together.

Joy and fear just there in abundance.

And for some,

it was probably a moment

where they would actually ask,

is it really true?

Do we really have peace?

It would have been hard to believe

after all that they'd gone through.

Was it actually a day when peace

had come?

Can we believe what we're hearing?

And as we come to the Word of God,

sometimes we read through it

and we think,

can this really be true?

Does this really matter to my life?

It can make us turn away

and reject it.

It can make us afraid

and it can also fill us

with joy.

And you see here

that just mixture of emotions.

The disciples terrified

and astounded

just in a short space of time.

And you see it again and again

as you're going through Scripture.

This is often what the truth

of God does.

And especially when it comes

to seeing Jesus

and who He is.

You just think back

a couple of chapters

to chapter 4.

And there was,

Jesus was with the disciples

in a boat

on another occasion

in the middle of a storm.

And they're afraid.

And they asked,

do you not care

that we are perishing?

Do you not care

that we are dying here?

And Jesus is able

to calm that storm.

Peace, be still.

And the wind

and the waves ceased.

And they're asking,

who is this?

They're afraid

of this Jesus.

And you see it

in chapter 5 as well

in verse 15 to 17.

Another time

when Jesus did a miracle.

He healed a demon-possessed man.

And you see the crowd's reaction.

They're afraid.

And what do they do?

They beg Jesus

to go away.

To leave us alone.

And is that what we need

when we hear about Jesus?

Just beg him.

Just go away.

Leave me alone.

I'm too afraid

of these things.

Well, fear often keeps us

from recognizing Jesus

and who he is

and what he wants for us.

Fear paralyzes us.

But we need to hear

what he is saying to us.

We need to overcome

that fear

and come to be a people

of faith

instead of fear.

We are being paralyzed

by fear.

We've all got maybe

different fears

and we're afraid

of certain situations

and it leaves us

kind of paralyzed.

If you're afraid

of heights,

you start climbing a ladder,

you look down,

the fear

can just paralyze you.

You're stuck.

You cannot go up.

You cannot go down.

Fear of spiders

leaves you afraid

of going into

any room

where you've seen

when you close the door

and you're afraid

to go in there again

until that spider's gone.

Fear of the doctor.

You just say,

I'm not going.

I'm afraid

what he might say to me.

We can be afraid

in so many different situations.

But are you afraid here?

Are you afraid

as you're hearing

the word of God?

Fear stirs us up

to see we need faith.

And somebody once said,

I am inwardly fashioned

for faith,

not for fear.

Fear is not

my native land.

Faith is.

I am not made

for fear and worry.

They are the sand

of the machinery of life.

They're there

to grind away

and to damage

the machinery.

But faith is the oil.

Faith is the oil

that keeps machinery

lubricated,

that keeps our lives

going in the right direction.

fear and worry

leaves me grasping

for breath.

But faith and confidence

helps me to breathe freely.

We are not designed

for fear,

but we are a people

of fear.

But we are to be

a people of faith.

So is fear

keeping you back today?

Are you afraid

of Jesus?

Are you afraid

of what might happen

if you commit

to Jesus?

Are you afraid

that you'll let him down?

Are you afraid

of what people

will think?

Are you afraid

maybe you're sitting

at home

watching online?

Are you afraid

to come to church

in case something

happens?

We should be more

afraid

of what will happen

if we don't come

to Jesus.

We should be more

afraid of not

listening

to Jesus

because the day

comes when we have

to appear

before him.

And we need

to be a people

of faith,

believing

in him.

William Garnall

once said,

we fear men

so much

because we fear

God so little.

What are we

more afraid

of today?

What people

will think,

what people

will say,

or what God

the Lord

will think?

Are we afraid

of Jesus?

Well,

the disciples

here,

they were learning.

and there was

a mix of fear

and faith

all intermingled.

And I want us

to look at

three things

from this passage

today.

And they help us

to see our own

lives as well.

And the three things

are the Lord's

paths,

the way the Lord

leads us.

And then you see

the Lord's presence

and then the Lord's

prompting.

And there are

three things,

situations that can

leave us afraid,

but that can also

give us assurance.

And the first thing

we see is the

Lord's path.

We can focus,

first of all,

on the disciples

here.

It's late at night

and we've seen

they've fed

the 5,000 men

there.

And Jesus

has instructed

them to go

before him

to the other side,

it says in verse

45,

to Bethsaida,

while he

remained with

the crowd

to dismiss them.

And so

they've listened.

The Lord's

told them

what to do

and they've

gone and

they've done it.

They've gone

out in the boat.

But once more

they find themselves

out on the lake

and a storm

rises,

the wind

is against them.

And it almost

seems to happen

so often

whether they're

away from the

Lord,

that they're

presented with

a challenge.

They're left

in a situation

where what

are you

going to

do

here?

And so

often in

these early

days,

it seems

that fear

is what

overwhelms

them.

Fear is

what almost

overcomes

each time.

And it's

so similar

to the

situation

where they

were in

chapter 4.

The Lord

had instructed

them to go

out in the

boat and

to make

their way

and they're

caught up

in a storm.

the Lord

was directing

them.

It's not

like a

Jonah

situation

where they're

running away

from the

Lord.

When the

Lord's told

him to do

something,

to go one

way,

and he

goes the

completely

opposite,

that's not

the situation

here.

They're doing

exactly what

they've been

told.

And still

a storm

comes.

They're

listening to

Jesus and

a storm

arises and

they're afraid

in the midst

of this

storm.

And it

would be

easy for

them to

blame him.

You've

sent us

this way.

You told

us to do

this and

we're doing

it and yet

still here

we are

caught in

a storm.

But what

you find

with the

disciples is

that so

often in

these early

experiences

they're

obedient to

the Lord

but the

Lord is

testing them.

The Lord

is discipling

them and

the Lord

is reminding

them of

their need

to depend

on him.

And the

same is

true for

ourselves.

If we

are to be

a people

of faith

there are

going to

be times

of fear,

times of

doubt,

times of

worry,

times of

testing.

They're

always going

to come.

Even when

we're doing

exactly what

the Lord

has told

us.

We can

be obedient

to God

and doing

everything

in his

will and

the way

he wants

us and

yet still

testing

comes.

And we

are thinking

am I

wrong?

Have I

done the

wrong thing?

Yes,

there are

times when

we do

and the

Lord will

teach us

in that

as well

but sometimes

when we're

obedient

testing

comes.

But it's

how we

respond

in that

testing.

Hardships

and trials

will come

but it's

not to

misunderstand

that we're

on the

wrong path.

The

Lord's

paths

aren't

always

easy

and the

Lord is

here

testing

the

disciples

testing

them to

see how

they respond

and how

they react

and what

they'll learn

in the

midst of

it but

the Lord

is with

them and

we'll come

to that

in a

moment.

But it's

the reality

of a life

of faith

and fear

together

is how

we respond

but the

Lord is

often teaching

us.

And if

you think

of different

career paths

in life,

if you

want to

be a

pilot,

an

aircraft

pilot,

if you

want to

go into

space or

if you

want to

go to

sea,

work on

ships,

there's

often times

in the

training where

you have

to be in

a simulator

and you

go into

a simulator

and it

simulates

a certain

situation.

It may

be you're

flying a

plane and

a bird

strike comes.

How are

you going

to deal

with it?

Well,

the simulator

is a

safe place

to learn

and you'll

get all

kinds of

issues being

thrown at

you.

So maybe

it's not

just one

issue.

It'll be

two or

three things

coming all

at once.

And how

do you

respond?

In a

simulator,

it's a

safe

environment.

Training

you to do

the right

thing if it

happens for

real.

And many

of the

situations go

beyond anything

you'll ever

see.

But it's

still good to

know how

to respond.

And you

could almost

look at this

simulator in

Jesus'

experience with

his disciples.

He's there

in a safe

environment with

them.

It's almost

like they're

learning to

ride their

bike but

the stabilizers

are on and

the parent is

alongside just

there to catch

when we

fall.

Well,

Jesus is here

putting them

on these

paths,

putting them

through these

testing times

because he's

preparing them

for when he's

not there with

them, when he

leaves them

to it.

Jesus is

going to go

away from

them.

He'd be at a

distance and

when he's not

there, how

will they

respond?

Of course,

he's always

there as we'll

see in a

moment as well.

But we are

to learn in

every situation

that we're

going through.

Trusting

Jesus is

what we

need.

As we go

on our own

paths, as we

go our own

way, as we

live a life

of faith,

doing what

the Lord

wants,

obedient to

him, know

that testings

will come,

that we need

to lean on

the Lord

and be

prepared through

learning through

his word,

through experience,

through the

experience of

others.

Even as James

says in his

letter,

consider it

pure joy,

my brothers,

whenever you

face trials

of many kinds

because you

know the

testing of

your faith

develops

perseverance.

And

perseverance

must finish

its work

so that you

may be

mature and

complete,

not lacking

in anything.

It's there

for us.

We're going

through the

fire,

testing,

but it's

for our

good.

To make us

mature and

complete,

not lacking

in anything.

are you

afraid of

what Jesus

might put

you through?

Are you

afraid of

what path

Jesus might

take you

down?

Well,

whatever it

is,

it's to be

obedient to

God.

It may be

a hard

path,

but be

obedient to

God and

follow the

way that he's

showing.

The Lord's

path is one

filled with

testing but

also teaching.

but above

all is the

path to

salvation and

to eternal

life.

So the

Lord's

path.

The second

thing we see

is the

Lord's

presence.

And we

have this

great assurance

here as

well, the

Lord's

presence.

And when we

look at this,

we do so

first of all

looking at the

situation where

we find the

Lord.

As he sent

them on,

he sent

them ahead

to the

other side

to Bethsaida,

he's dismissed

the crowd,

and he's

gone up the

mountain to

pray.

Jesus lets

the disciples

go, and

he goes to

pray.

Is he

leaving the

disciples?

Has he just

left them to

go?

Or is there

a reminder to

us here of

where he is

even now?

praying?

In the

gospel of

Mark, there

are three

times when

Jesus is

mentioned

praying.

In chapter

one, at the

beginning of

his ministry,

here in this

chapter, and

in chapter

14 in

Gethsemane,

in each he is

alone, in

each the

disciples are

in the

vicinity, and

in each they

do not

understand, or

they're afraid.

And yet

he's praying.

I wonder, was

he praying for

them?

We know in

John 17 that

Jesus prays for

his people, he

prays for us.

And you

wonder here if

that prayer that

he was offering

up was,

Father, teach

these disciples

through this

experience.

May they see

your glory.

May they know

your presence.

We don't know,

it's not recorded

for us.

But that prayer

in John 17

certainly makes

it clear to

us that he

prays for

his own.

And here we

have this

reminder too

for ourselves

that even we

are going

through times

of trial

and challenge.

Where is

he now?

He is at the

right hand of

God, and

what is he

doing?

He's making

intercession for

his people.

Even as we

offer up our

cries and our

prayers, Jesus

is the one

who is

interceding

for us.

And so he

was one who

prayed, showing

us our need

to pray, that

we are dependent

on God for

all things.

It's a lesson

and a reminder

to us, a

lesson to have

our own times

alone with the

Lord because we

do face all

these trials.

But it's to be

in the presence

of our Lord

as we do

so.

And it's a

reminder too

that as Jesus

was dependent

on the

Father, so

are we.

We do

nothing by

ourselves.

And that's a

reminder, but

it's also a

blessing.

We don't have

to face up to

anything by

ourselves.

Whatever it

is, we go

through it knowing

that there is

prayer there to

the Father in

heaven who is

able to help.

help.

And so it

seems he was

at a distance,

but he was

close, and

he is close to

us as well.

And even

though he had

sent his

disciples, he

had not

forgotten

them.

And you

see that in

verse 48.

He saw that

they were

making headway

painfully for

the wind was

against them.

He was aware.

He knew what

was happening

to them.

He knew their

situation.

like he knows

yours and

mine too.

He knows

everything that's

going on.

And he was

aware they

were in

trouble, and

he came to

their aid.

But isn't it

strange what it

says?

They were

making headway

painfully 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 by them.

It seems a

bit odd.

He meant to

pass by them.

Had he

changed his

mind?

Had he

thought they're

being disobedient,

they're not

listening, I'm

just going to

go past them?

What was he

doing here?

Was he not

concerned about

them?

Or was there

more to this?

He made to

pass by them.

There was

revelation in

this.

they were to

see who he

was and what

he was doing.

Some people

have tried to

put this down

as the walking

on the sea,

that the

disciples were

tired, it was

late at night,

they thought they

saw him walking

on the sea, but

he was actually

on the land.

No.

Others have

said, oh, there

must have been a

shallow part, a

sandbar, the

water was very

shallow, he was

just walking on

that.

No.

He was walking

on the sea, and

he made to

pass by.

What was he

doing here?

He was showing

who it was that

was with them.

When you go

back to the

Old Testament,

to Exodus

Exodus 33:19–23

33, verse 19

to 23, there

you see the

word pass by

used again, and

the phrase is

used to

describe God

revealing himself

to Moses as

he passed

by.

And here

is Jesus

making us

to pass

by, that

they might

see his

glory, that

they might

know who

it is that

is with

them, that

it's not

just on the

land he's

walking on,

on a

sandbar, that

Jesus has

power and

authority over

all things.

He is walking

on the water,

and he is

there for

them, and

then he

comes into

the boat

with them.

It's a

reminder to

the disciples,

they won't

always have

Jesus in a

physical way,

but that he's

always going to

be with them.

We have

God the

Lord on

our side.

Even as we

sang in

Psalm 23,

there's these

great words of

the Lord being

with his

people.

Verse 2

gives that

image of

the green

pastures and

the calm

waters, and

a lovely

calm setting.

But then

you have

verse 3

and 4

that remind

us that

even in

the valley

of the

shadow of

death, he

is there

for his

people.

His rod

and his

staff, they

comfort.

So the

Lord is

there.

God is

with us.

That's his

promise.

Never will

I leave

you, never

will I

forsake

you.

Thomas, when

he saw the

risen Lord,

he said he

would not

believe unless

he saw the

marks on his

hands and

the side.

But what

did Jesus

say to

him when

he believed?

Because you

have seen

me, you

have believed.

Blessed are

those who

have not

seen and

yet have

believed.

Do these

things make

you afraid

of Jesus?

He can't

walk on

water, he

can't feed

5,000, he

can't calm

a storm, the

wind and the

waves.

Well, he

can.

That's the

truth we

hear.

But do we

believe it?

That's the

question.

So the

Lord's

presence is

there for

us.

What a

wonderful

assurance we

have that

he is

there for

his people.

And he

is there

for you.

Do not

be afraid,

but believe.

Believe in

the Lord

Jesus.

Jesus.

Well, the

third and

final thing

we see

here is

the Lord's

prompting.

The Lord's

prompting.

Fear can

often lead

us to

missing

what's

important.

And the

disciples

here, yes,

they were

terrified, but

Jesus spoke

to them there

in verse 50

saying,

take heart,

it is I,

do not be

afraid.

The Lord

prompts them

here.

You fear

so much,

you're afraid

even of me.

Do not

be afraid.

See who

it is.

It is I.

I am.

I am the

Lord who

is with

you.

And he's

prompting

them in

their hearts

to believing.

Take

heart.

And they

were astounded,

utterly

astounded,

it says

there in

verse 51.

And they

were growing

in their

knowledge of

Jesus and

their

understanding

of who

he is.

we may

be believers

in our

hearts,

but our

hearts are

still hardened

at times,

as we see