Passing by

It's great to see you. Welcome.

We're doing a series through the book of John and I think Wendy

did an amazing freaks last week. And so we're going to continue.

You probably think we're going to John 7, but we're not.

We're going to continue on John chapter 6 on walking on the

John 6 · chapter mention

water. Amen.

And I want to thank somebody who bought me this cup with my name

on it, so none of you know what's inside of it.

And somebody bought me this hat with Ecclesiastes on it and said

it's the longest series they've ever been in the church.

So you'll see. Ecclesiastes, I want to thank

you for your deep interest in my well-being.

It's very, very kind of you. The man who bought me this hat

has just won the Lotto and this is all I got.

But I'm going to highlight him next week.

We're going to have a light on him and he'd like to share his

proceeds. He's bit torn by his gambling

habit. He's very torn, in fact, by his

name's Lawrence. He's setting up this big guy and

he's quite guilty because he's a Christian and he's a gambler.

But but but he's won the lottery.

He bought me this hat and he'd like to share his money with

you. So just ask for a guy called

Lawrence, got tattoos. He's got a beautiful wife.

He's not that beautiful. But just ask him to share his

money with you. He might buy you a hat.

OK, good to have you back, Stephen and Kath.

So let's have a look at John chapter 6 and verse 16.

John 6 · chapter mention

When evening came, say evening, his disciples went down to the

lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for

Capernaum. By now it was dark, say dark,

and Jesus had not yet joined them.

How many of you feel like that sometimes in your life?

We kind of go on these journeys in the dark without Jesus.

Scary. And probably here today, there

are people who are on journeys in the dark without Jesus.

And I'm a pastor and everybody says all you worry about is

advocates and important people. Most of my life is spent with

people who are in boats and dark places without Jesus.

That's where most of my life is spent with actually just people

that are really panicking in their lives going through tough

times and I'm a pastor to those people.

Mostly. A strong wind was blowing and

the waters grew rough. How many of you feel like that

right now? A strong wind was blowing and

the waters grew rough. And when they had rode 3 and a

half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on

the water, and they were terrified by the water or by

Jesus. They were fishermen.

They knew about storms. But he said to them, it is I

don't be afraid. If you take Siri and you go

Siri, how many times in the Bible does it say do not be

afraid, Don't do it now. But the answer will be 365

times. Just think about that tomorrow.

Siri, how many times does the Bible say do not be afraid?

Monday? How many times Tuesday do not be

afraid for every day of the year.

Then they were willing. They were willing to take him

into the boat. Now I would also be and

immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

You've got to read sometimes in different versions.

So let's read it in the book of Mark, the same account.

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and

go on ahead of him to bedsider. So you've got to ask the

question. You can keep the scriptures up.

Did they just get in the boat and Jesus went to pray, or did

Jesus put them in the boats? And the first point is simply

this. Jesus sent them.

And while everybody has been panicking about the Dolenberg

family, I'm absolutely theologically convinced and have

been since the day that lockdown happened, that God sent them to

the Middle East. God knew about the missiles.

God knew about the war. God knew about Donald Trump's

decision. And he never, ever spoke to them

at night in the vision and said, don't go to the Middle East

because it's going to be dangerous.

God said to them, go to the Middle East because it's going

to be dangerous. You understand that?

And I think we have a theology that says if I come to Christ, I

will avoid all the storms. I'm telling you, if you come to

Christ, He will send you into storms.

It's absolutely essential for our growth and our maturity.

There are 5000 people or we say 5000 men with women, 20,000

people and 19,988. He sends away and says go home.

But you 12 guys, I'm going to send you into the middle of a

storm and instead of feeling like you're being affected by

that, you should say thank you God for trusting me enough

because there's something that you want to do in my life by

sending me into a storm because you're going to teach me

something that's going to help other Christians.

I've absolutely I never feared once I prayed, I cried, I got on

my knees for the dollar bid, but not once that I feared because

as I was reading the scripture, God says do not be afraid.

The safest place for Daniel was to be in the lion's den because

God wanted him in the lion's den.

And the safest place for the Dolenbergs was to be in the

Middle East because God wanted them in the Middle East.

Amen. You've got to understand that

I've seen people get sick, I've seen people get hurt, I've seen

people get killed. I've I've done funeral after

funeral and somehow in the midst of that storm, we've got to

believe that Jesus is doing something.

There are all sorts of storms. Jonah created his own storm.

Jonah's storm was a storm of disobedience.

And sometimes if you commit adultery, your marriage will hit

a storm. They think what I must do about

that. Rory.

Well, I'll tell you what Jesus did when they asked him for a

sign, he said, I will give you no sign.

The storm that Jonah was in was a storm of disobedience.

And when they said to Jesus, give us a sign, he said, I'll

give you no sign, but the sign of Jonah that even when he went

through his own storm, he redeemed Jonah for his

disobedience storm. He can take your disobedience

storm and link it to his storm and bring redemption to your

life. That's phenomenal.

While he dismissed the crowd after leaving them, he went on

the mountainside to pray. You think who was he praying

for? Just keep the scriptures up.

He went to pray. Stephen called us to pray.

Every time John the Baptist was was was killed, Jesus went to

pray. He doesn't go to the source of

pain, He goes to the source of healing.

He feeds the 5000 immediately goes to pray.

He has to deal with pressure. He tries to deal with his, his,

his diary, it says very early in the morning, while it was still

dark, Jesus got up, went to a solitary place, left the house

and he prayed. His disciples came to him and

said, everybody's looking for you.

He says, good, let's go somewhere else.

His, his diary was set by pray and our lives are set by our

Diaries and we're running ourselves absolutely stupid and

wondering why we can't cope when times get tough.

So he goes on the mountainside to pray.

He sends them into a storm. When evening came, the boat was

in the middle of the lake and he was alone on land.

He saw the disciples straining at the oars.

How you doing guys? The only says in the ESV Bible.

I don't like the ESV Bible. So it says in the ESP Bible.

He saw them painfully making headway.

This is how the mathematics works.

In the 4th watch of the night, Jesus goes out to him.

They've rode 3 1/2 miles. It's about 5 kilometers in nine

hours. That is 500 meters an hour.

They've got big trouble. And you think I'm straining at

the oars, I'm straining at the oars, I'm straining at the oars,

I'm straining at the oars. And you know what the Bible

says? He saw them say he saw them

today. What?

I would have 4 points. He sent them.

He saw them, He settled them, and he sheltered them.

He sent them. He saw them, he settled them and

he sheltered them. I want to say this to you, even

if you don't feel like you can see God, I want to tell you

this. God can see you.

God can see you. Many years ago I preached the

scripture, but I went away with my two children.

I only had two then, but I went away with my two children.

I said to my wife, I want to find the phrase that my children

use the most on a whole holiday. We went to the sea and I wanted

to know the phrase they used the most.

This is the phrase they used the most.

Look, Dad. Watch me, Dad.

Watch me dad dive in, watch me dead dive in, watch me dead,

catch a wave, watch me dead, watch me dead, watch me dead,

watch me dead and the way the devil works, he says.

I'll take it away and you'll feel unbelievably isolated.

Nobody's watching you. I've watched 4 rugby matches in

the last four weeks, 2 by one son and two by the other son and

they've lost all four. It's not great watching a losing

rugby match. I'm watching you.

Are they feeling bad? They leave me here.

I saw yesterday one of my sons hurt his ankle, strapped it up.

Their team were losing. But you know what he wanted to

do? He wanted to know whether his

father was watching him or not. He looked through all the crowd,

looked through all the crowd. And then once he could see my

eyes, he was OK. And once they had their team

talk, his brothers were there, his sister was there, his mother

was there, everybody was there. But he wanted to see into my

eyes. I want to tell you, whatever

storm you're in, however rough it is, he sees you.

He sees you, he's watching you. Psalm 121 says He watches my

coming and going both now and forevermore.

He watches my coming and going both now and forevermore.

Let's go back to the Scripture. He saw the disciples straining

at the oars because the wind was against them about the fourth

watch of the night. The first watch is 6 to 9.

The second watch is 9 to 12. The third watch is 12 to three.

The 4th watch is 3 to 6. You say, Lord God, how long is

it going to take? As long as it's necessary for

you to realize that you're not in control of your life.

As long as it takes for you to realize that you're not in

control of your life. He's just fed the 5000.

They've got 12 basket fulls of food.

It's just as absolute abundance. And when God is providing for

me, it's absolutely remarkable, but I can't build the church on

that. When there's abundance in the

church and there's people and there's money and there's it's

so easy to build the church, but I have to build the church

knowing that in the midst of the storm, he's still with us.

He's still with us. And I've seen so many people

give up on a God that they don't even know because they think the

God they know will never put them into any form of danger,

toil or strife. He said, but Rory, what about

the storm that they were in regards said be still in the

storm. Calm down.

That also happens, but this also happens.

He wants to raise disciples. He wants to raise disciples.

People that represent him, that can handle hard times without

throwing their toys out the cart in the 4th watch of the night.

Maybe you're sitting now and it's changing, but you think

God, first watch, you weren't there.

God second watch, He sells there.

The whole time I was on the mountain praying, you can't see

me because the wind and the storm were So what?

But I was watching you. I was sitting with you.

I'm dealing with you. I'm trying to tell you you're

not in control of your life. He was about to pass by them.

They pass by. Just say pass by.

You think Gee God, that's you're not such a cool God.

We had trouble when you pass by. OK for a CUM 1000 Rand voucher

or maybe a ticket to Nampur Nampur.

Can you tell me why that pass by is there?

Look at it, look at the words. Why?

Why would Jesus pass by them? CEM 1000 bucks and buy the

latest CDO. We don't do CDs anymore.

Why was it there? He wanted to ignore them.

He wanted to ignore them intentionally.

Intentionally. With the Manchester United

jersey on. Don't sit next to your friend,

Brooke. I'll sit next to him, enjoying

the, the, the, the the gathering of stupidity.

Your, your your mate. Let them know he's there.

Hey, to let them know he's there.

Why? They don't have to be.

They're not alone. They're not alone.

But but, but, but if you're alone, they pass by.

Why? Well, think about, just think.

You've got to you've got to understand the Bible to

understand the story. So think why?

Why? Can you imagine if Stephen and

Kathy are sitting in the Middle East and I've got one of the

things on him? They got a flat out from Doha on

Thursday and just as they're about to leave for the airport,

3 bombs exploded over their heads.

And you think and Jesus just turned his head and passed by.

Thank God. What kind of God would that be?

Let's go to Exodus 33. Moses said, please show me your

glory. And he said, I will make all my

goodness pass before you, and I'll proclaim before you my name

the Lord, and I'll be gracious to him.

I'll be gracious, I'll sow mercy on who must.

But he said, you cannot see my face, for 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 while my glory

passes by, and I'll put you in the cleft of the rock, and I

will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but

my face shall not be seen. Let's go.

Exodus 34 And the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there

with him and proclaimed his name the Lord and he the Axel wording

is passed by in front of Moses proclaiming the Lord the Lord,

the compassionate and gracious God slow to anger, abounding in

love and faithfulness, maintaining love, 2000s

forgiving wickedness, rebellions and keep that there.

You know what friends he didn't pass by like to miss them.

He passed by to show them his glory.

He passed by to show him his glory.

And so the storm that some of us are in are storms of sin.

And we go deep down, deep down, right at the bottom when we down

think, God, would you save me? And he comes past compassionate

and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love, forgiving

wickedness, rebellion and sin. And they get this hope in the

middle of the storm. You know Psalm 29 says, let's

see what Psalm 29 says, ascribe to the Lord Almighty ones,

ascribe to the Lord glory in strength, ascribe to the Lord,

glory to his name, worship the Lord in the splendor of His

Holiness. The voice of the Lord is over

the waters, the God of glory. Imagine I just got to just think

of this. I'm talking to you in storms

when rough seas storm Bah, Bah do not be afraid.

Do not be afraid. No, the Bible says his voice

thunders so when God said do not be afraid, he didn't stole the

storm and say do not be afraid his voice was above the storm.

Amen. Brilliant say God of glory.

This is what Exodus says. Lord God, do not send us up from

here unless your glory goes with us for what will distinguish us

from everybody else on the and the way we find God's glory is

in the storm, not when we see the feeding of the 5000.

It's in the storm. And I want to say to you,

friends, and I don't want to say this to Stephen because because

he is mature, but what God has put the Dolenberg through right

now is to see God's glory in the midst of the storm so that they

can come back and teach people who are in storms not to panic.

Because the voice of the Lord is louder than the storm.

His voice is over the storm and everybody saying stop the storm,

stop the storm. He says, my voice is above the

storm. Excellent.

So I'm 107, please stay with me. Amen.

You should be being deeply challenged.

No, you should be. You should be being because I

tell you what, I sit in my office, friends, many times and

I weep with people going through storms and I'm thinking God is

making you a disciple. And if I pulled out the fish and

bread, you'll say, hey, God is good.

Actually, let's go back to Mark chapter 6.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

We'll come back to Psalm 107. Let's go to verse 51.

Look there, He says. Then he climbed into the boat

with them and the wind died down.

Remember, he's already passed by.

They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about

the loaves because their hearts were hardened.

Can you imagine feeding 20,000 people and still not

understanding God? 20,000 people and still not

understanding God? So God says, OK, I'm going to

have to get your attention another way.

You 12 go there, you 20,000 go there, and you guys are going to

go and find out about me and the fourth watch of the night.

I'm a faithful God, I'm in control, and you actually don't

have the solution. Psalm 107, please.

Others went out on the sea and ships.

They were merchants on the mighty waters.

They saw the works of the Lord. His wonderful deeds in the deep,

for he spoke and stirred up a Tempest that lifted higher the

waves. Who did that?

Who did that? Who did it?

God did it. So don't sit here and and and

blame a God that is putting you through a process of maturity

and say, Hey God, where are you? He will come, I don't know what

what she will come on but he will come.

I never had this story in my notes but many of you might not

know the story but I was trying to lose weight and I've got

issues with my head and I was cycling with one of my fat

Afrikaans friends. Fat English guy and a fat

Afrikaans guy. We finished cycling, used to

shake my bicycles handle and say well done bicycle for carrying

that fat English guy. But I broke my pubic bone.

I went over a thing and I broke my pubic bone and I was too

embarrassed to go and see the doctor.

So I ended up with a major, major infection that landed me

in a urinary hospital that had no space in the men's section.

So I was in the women's section of a urinary hospital, and I

felt like I was in the deepest, darkest storm of my life with

God not watching me. And I asked this question, Lord,

am I so arrogant that I've ended up here?

And God, by his grace, never answered that question.

But I knew the answer was yes. I knew the answer was yes.

And I had to see the glory of God pass me by sitting with

those seven women. You're about to have female

operations. Sitting with those seven women,

I had to watch Jesus pass me by and say I'm gracious and

compassionate and slow to anger and abounding in love,

maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion

and sin. I said, God, will you have mercy

on me? What could I say?

Hey, Lord, God, I'm serving with my whole life.

How the heck did I end up here? I wanted you here.

I wanted you here. Do you feel the storm settling

in your heart already? You should.

You should. Others went out on the sea and

ships, over merchants on the mighty waters.

They saw the works of the Lord, His wonderful deeds in the deep

say the deep. And we saw in John the Dark God

works in the deep and the dark places He For he spoke and

stirred up a Tempest that lifted higher the waves.

They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths, say

depths in their peril. Their courage melted away.

They reeled and staggered like drunken men.

They were at their wits end. Say wits end.

You know when you're in trouble, people say to you got to keep

your wits about you. That's wisdom.

They'd come to the end of their wisdom.

God wanted to bring his disciples to the end of their

wisdom. And they cried out to the Lord

in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.

He stole the storm to a whisper. The waves of the sea were

hushed. You can put up the Charles

Spurgeon quote, please. All believers have not the same

deep experience. Dear God, please don't send me

to the Middle East with bombs going off above me, because I

don't think I'll cope that well. Not all believers have the same

deep experience, but God knew that they could handle it, so He

sent them. Not all believers have the same

deep experience but for wise ends.

I've come to my wits end but for wise ends because God wants to

break in but for wise ends that they may do business for him.

The Lord sends some of his Saints to the sea of soul

trouble You've got. Why?

Why am I sitting in this hospital, God?

Because I want you to come to the end of your wisdom.

I want you to come to the end of your strength.

Well, you're not in control of your life or your money.

I've seen many people come to church, clap their hands, jump

around, but the control belongs to themselves, not to Jesus.

And there they see, as others do not, the wonders of divine grace

sailing over the deeps of inward depravity, the wastewaters of

poverty, the billows of persecution, and the rough waves

of temptation. They need God above all others,

and they find Him. God called us to build a church

in White River. I went there one day, 12:00.

I met a couple on the veranda. I said, oh, you're right.

They said no, not really. We have a son in Johannesburg.

He's in a storm, deep storm, deep storm, going up and down at

the deep and dark places. I phoned him.

I said, hey bud, my name is Rory Dyer, I'll be your friend.

He said, I don't want, I don't want Jesus.

I don't want pastors, I don't want anything.

I said, let's find my mouth. But when you're really in

trouble, phone me. And one day very early in the

morning, maybe about the fourth watch of the night, somewhere

between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning, after being in a very

dark and deep place, very dark and deep place, I got a phone

call said, hey, Rose said how you, buddy?

OK, Said no. I saw the glory of God pass in

front of this man, this man, my friend, gracious compassion,

it's slow to anger, bounding in love.

And he was some White River. And this is my other friend.

He's from Durban, he's subdurban.

And I find him, he's just visiting from Derby.

He's my friend, been my friend for 30 years.

And I found my friend and Derby and I said I've got a friend

from White River, but he's, I don't even know.

You guys will sit opposite each other.

Today I phoned my friend. I said, listen, we need to send

him for help, so I'm going to put him on an airplane.

Will you pick him up? So put him on an airplane and he

picked him up and we're sitting here today.

You know why the three of us are here?

Because in the midst of a very dark storm, the God of

compassion walked past us. And he phoned me this week.

He said, hey, Rob, I've got a friend.

I don't even know what you do, but what you've done.

Why are you here? But I know the waters are rough.

I know the waters are rough, I know, I know the sea is going up

and down and I know it's like the 4th watch of the night.

And God brought you to the place where Jesus the God of glory

passes by, and he says to you above the storm of your life.

Young man, do not be afraid. And to you, so do not be afraid.

And to you, ma'am, do not be afraid.

Do not be afraid, do not be afraid.

And when he got in the boat, when he got in the boat, in the

story of John, it said they landed at the other side.

Invite Jesus into your boat. The marriage storm, the

financial storm. Invite him in and you'll get to

your destination much quicker in trying to row by yourself.

Amen.