King in the Midst of Darkness.

Introduction

Want to hear one of the most controversial statements to make from the pulpit? Jesus is king. Yes this statement today is one that can be misconstrued as hate speech today. It wold get you killed in Rome, arrested in China, and some in this country would do the same. This is basic Christian doctrine, Christ is King. This was evident to me this week as we went through the storm. Jesus is king, praise God for that!

Big idea

Jesus is king amidst the Darkness

Text

Mark 6:45–52 ESV

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. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 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, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 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.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

3 miracles

I love talking about Miracles, they are going to be the subject of the first book I am currently writing! Miracles are a pointer to what God is doing and who he is. Mark is full of miracles they demonstrate to the Gentile audience that he is God and that the gospel they first believed is true. Miracles in the biblical text always point to God always reinforce something that God is saying. In our text today we see three miracles the precede one huge truth we need to learn.

sight in the dark

Mark 6:48 ESV

48 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,

Background on the Sea of Galilee

Description The lake is approximately 13 miles or 20.9 kilometers long and 6 miles or 9.7 kilometers wide (7½ miles or 12.1 kilometers at its broadest point opposite Magdala). It lies almost 700 feet (213.4 meters) below the Mediterranean Sea, and its greatest depth is 200 feet (60.9 meters). Its shape resembles a harp, and some scholars think the name Chinnereth comes from a Hebrew word meaning “harp.” The climate is semitropical. Because of this climate, combined with the sulphur springs at Tiberias, it became a resort to which sick people traveled. The lake abounds in fish, so fishing became an important industry (Mt 4:18–22; Mk 1:16–20; Lk 5:9–11). Sudden and violent storms (Mt 8:23–27; Mk 4:35–41; Lk 8:22–25), caused by the collision of warm and cold air, occur regularly.

So he saw them possibly in the middle of the sea about 3 miles away in the dark in the storm.

Jesus is light and in him their is no darkness

walking on water - The God who splits the water is the God who can walk upon it! You can see Christ's mastery over nature!

calming the storm

1 revelation

God reveled himself to the disciples, he passed them by like God Did in exodus when Moses saw him in the cleft and what did they do, they thought him a ghost!

The passing by of the goodness of God (v. 48)

of who Jesus is ego eimi identified with Ex. 34:6

Exodus 34:6 ESV

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

1 Kings 19:11 ESV

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Phantom vs God

supernatural is real. See Calvin on people willing to entertain superstitions over Christ.

Institutes of the Christian Religion Chapter 4: Knowledge of God Corrupted, Ignorantly or Maliciously

BUT though experience testifies that a seed of religion is divinely sown in all, scarcely one in a hundred is found who cherishes it in his heart, and not one in whom it grows to maturity so far is it from yielding fruit in its season. Moreover, while some lose themselves in superstitious observances, and others, of set purpose, wickedly revolt from God, the result is that, in regard to the true knowledge of him, all are so degenerate, that in no part of the world can genuine godliness be found. In saying that some fall away into superstition, I mean not to insinuate that their excessive absurdity frees them from guilt; for the blindness under which they labour is almost invariably accompanied with vain pride and stubbornness. Mingled vanity and pride appear in this, that when miserable men do seek after God, instead of ascending higher than themselves as they ought to do, they measure him by their own carnal stupidity, and, neglecting solid inquiry, fly off to indulge their curiosity in vain speculation. Hence, they do not conceive of him in the character in which he is manifested, but imagine him to be whatever their own rashness has devised. This abyss standing open, they cannot move one footstep without rushing headlong to destruction. With such an idea of God, nothing which they may attempt to offer in the way of worship or obedience can have any value in his sight, because it is not him they worship, but, instead of him, the dream and figment of their own heart. This corrupt procedure is admirably described by Paul, when he says, that “thinking to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22).

Men are quick to embrace superstition, infact their hearts by default would rather something be a ghost instead of God.

If you’re in your sin you maybe missing God pass you by, revealing himself to you! Imagine what you miss by indulging in your stress, yourself instead of seeing the miracle of God’s presence.

During the storm I was struck by how the world reacts to things People are looking for a movie, not the common things of God. His word is enough, his church is enough, his ministers, his son is enough. Don’t let that pass you by!

Applications

for the struggling

Mark 6:48 ESV

48 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,

You maybe rowing all night but Christ see you and is your salvation.

Look at the text He came in the fourth watch

Puritan Matthew Henry says this:

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume Mark 6:45–56

1. He did not come till the fourth watch of the night, not till after three o’clock in the morning; but then he came. Note, If Christ’s visits to his people be deferred long, yet at length he will come; and their extremity is his opportunity to appear for them so much the more seasonably. Though the salvation tarry, yet we must wait for it; at the end it shall speak, in the fourth watch of the night, and not lie.

Let me put the in modern English, Jesus will come to you in the hour of your need. He will deliver you at just the right time. So if you’re waiting hold on! God gave us the church so that we may work and bear each other burdens together! hold on to the Lord he is coming, and btw church He is coming again he is not late he is merely waiting for the full and perfect momment to come again. Every momment in your trial is one in which you can exercise faith!

seek the Lord in prayer in times of need

disciples vs Jesus

Do not let the moment cloud out your faith

Scottish Puritan Samuel Rutherford had been very active during a period in English speaking history called the commonwealth. It was a time that the Parliament had seen that the King broke the law and the English civil war broke out. This conflict impacted the Colonies, some taking the kings side some Parliament and impacted every home. Rutherford came down distinctly agianst the king and his actions and for a while the Puritan Parliament had control over the country. That didn’t last and the monarchy was restored to GB and the Colonies and Rutherford had been found guilty of being a traitor to the crown. H had supported the side that would finally loose and had written the marvelous book Lex Rex, The Law is king, and was found guilty and was put to death.

He would say while in prison before his execution:

Think Not Much of the sea when Christ is in the ship - Samuel Rutherford

We live in an era not much different. The political class is out of control, the price of goods is sky rocketing, the international scene is tumultuous, the puritans so worried about the institutions of GB that they had to start their own or in the case of many flee to the New World, many in our day are leaving places of generational homes to move somewhere that is safer.

Negative example from the disciples,

We must not be like the disciples who only focus on the rowing

Mark 6:48 ESV

48 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,

They had been sent out before dark in the evening and they had been rowing and fighting the storm all night long. The Forth watch was the period between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM according to the Roman time system. All their efforts were nothing they couldn’t save themselves. They were so busy rowing they didn’t do the thing they needed which is call on the Lord.

Our world is in a bad way right now, we just went through a touch of a storm and the thing we must do is not get absorbed into the world.

Many focus more on the rowing. You maybe a hard worker, you may have all the gumption in the world, but if it keeps you from seeing the momment your in it’s all for nothing.

Row, row, row, your boat and the wind keeps blowing, row row row and it’s still dark. You cannot row yourself out of the messes you are in if you are trying call unto Jesus.

positive example from Jesus (See John for information)

Look to How Jesus handled the situation turning on him. In the Parallel account in

John 6:15 ESV

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus had just feed them all and now they were coming to take Jesus by force, he withdraws from them to a place to pray and be with His Father.

Follow our Lord and draw onto the Father instead of Just hoping your rowing will get you out!

King even When the World is Dark

Mark 6:48 ESV

48 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,

Jesus saw them from miles away in the dark, in a storm. It wasn’t like today with electric lighting it would have been dark! And he saw them.

The Words that Jesus says to them is important

Mark 6:50 (ESV)

50 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.”

Take heart could be translated as “Have courage!” “Be Brave!” It is a command given to them by Jesus.

Do not be afriad, again a command!

This Reminds me of our preaching through the Deuteronomy List of the Ten Commandments. Shortly after that address the Hebrew people loose Moses to natural death and then lead into the promised land by Joshua and the Lord says this:

Joshua 1:5–9 (ESV)

5 .... Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

In the Midst of an oncoming war God says to Joshua to tell the people this. The same God then is in Jesus now.

So when things are hard be like Jesus who walked on water in the dark in the storm, know that like the discpiples he is their with you.

He sees you in the storm.

When you are scared and the night it long or the phone call is bad, the news comes back upside down, the president of your country is arresting his main compition like you see in the third world. Our king is walking in the midst of the storm.

When you are tired and all worn out Jesus get’s into the boat with you, he is your calm and brings the calm.

(Give the Gospel)