A Revelation at Sea

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.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I was five.

I was five, 1995.

That was a little joke.

That was a joke.

The chaos maker.

We've all experienced the chaos maker.

Here's what a chaos maker does.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It's out of control kids.

Can be a chaos maker.

They can bring disorder to your order.

And then there are natural disasters.

Let me just name you some.

Hurricanes.

Hurricanes.

Tornadoes.

Wildfires.

Volcanic eruptions.

Earthquakes.

Tsunamis.

Torrential rain.

Floods.

Mudslides.

Droughts.

They're all chaos makers.

They devastate homes.

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.

It was an incredible chaos maker.

I woke up in a cold sweat.

Has anybody got a flooded basement?

Raise your hand.

Chaos maker.

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.

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.

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.

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.

John 6:16–21

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.

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.

And they were frightened.

But he said to them,

It is I.

The Greek for that is ego ami.

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.

May God bless the hearing of his word.

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.

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.

With four principles if I can get to them.

Alright.

So let's walk through this account starting with a departure into chaos.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Is this.

First, it's actually Jesus who very intentionally sends his disciples out in their boat.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What did he pray?

A.

To recharge after a long day.

B.

To thank the Father for what he has just done.

C.

To intercede for his disciples because they are rowing into a chaos maker.

Or D.

All of the above.

I would say D.

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.

Remember, Jesus chooses to reveal himself on his terms.

It makes you wonder.

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.

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.

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?

And Peter would have probably just said, I bet he'll just walk it.

Okay.

Okay.

We have seen the departure into the chaos.

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.

John describes the sea as rough, which is a little bit of an understatement.

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.

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

But their orderly crossing of the Sea of Galilee was quickly thrown into disorder because they were thrown into a mixer.

A water chaos.

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.

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.

There were big waves.

And it was exhilarating and terrifying.

I felt small.

Powerless.

On a knife edge of drowning.

Vulnerable, in danger.

That was during the day.

I could see everything.

But the disciples are out on this chaos maker of the Sea of Galilee at night.

In darkness.

Dark.

And the deeps are being disorderly and dangerous.

Surely, even these seasoned fishermen were experiencing some fear.

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.

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.

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.

Has anybody paddled for more than two hours?

I see that hand.

They would have been fatigued.

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.

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.

The outside chaos brings out the inside chaos of us.

Fear, frustration, isolation, hopelessness.

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?

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.

It's not random.

It's purposed.

Maybe you have an out-of-control wild child.

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.

Could it be that that chaos maker has been sent by God?

Remember, Jesus reveals himself on his terms.

And he has purposefully stayed behind.

In verse 19, this is where things go crazy.

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.

And at this moment,

Jesus decides to show up.

It's at this moment,

Jesus decides to reveal himself.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Is that how he's going through the waves?

What's the expression on his face?

Is he intent?

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.

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.

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?

In Mark 6, 48,

Mark says,

he meant to pass them by.

Apparently,

he wasn't planning on stopping.

This was going to be a drive-by walking on the water.

And it gives further emphasis that

this is no big deal.

Everybody's going to be fine.

This chaos maker isn't going to

harm Jesus.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It's from the darkness.

It's out from the storm.

It's outside the boat

that Jesus says,

it is I.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If you would just turn

in your Bibles

a couple pages

to the left

to John chapter 1

John 1 · chapter mention

I just want to remind you

of who this

son of God

this Jesus is.

Isaiah 1:1

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.

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.

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?

1187

long ago

at many times

in many ways

is chapter 1

Isaiah 1 · chapter mention

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.

we're not living

in a random

functioning universe

every molecule

in the universe

is being upheld

by the glorious

son of God.

If you want to look

at Colossians

just one more

just to

for you to see this

this is Colossians 1

Colossians 1:15

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

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

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

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

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

!

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

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

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

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

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

!

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

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

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

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