Mark 6:45-52 “ Be of Good Cheer “

Mark 6:45–52 KJV 1900

45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

“ Be of Good Cheer “

What Mark records here

When Jesus says

“ Be of Good Cheer “

Jesus is saying

“ Have Courage “ — “ Be Courageous “

In the Storms of life

You have to have

“ Courage “ — “ Be Courageous “

Simply because

Of WHO Jesus Is

It’s hard to “ Be of Good Cheer “

When you’re smack dap

In the middle

Of a storm in your life

When the very one

Who SENT YOU to the storm

Looks like

He’s not KEEPING YOU

In the storm

Before Jesus showed up

To the disciples in the storm

The Disciples felt that

They had been Separated from the Savior

They had been Strained in a Storm

They was Scared of what they Seen

Introduction:

Storms are part of life—

even for those walking in obedience

And In this passage

Jesus sends His disciples into a storm—

not to punish them

but to prepare them

When we’re in the middle of the storm

our natural instinct is fear

But Jesus says:

“Be of good cheer.”

Why?

Because even in the storm

He is working for your good

Romans 8:28 NASB95

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Storms come to all of us

Some have physical storms

Some have emotional storms

Some have relational storms

Some have spiritual storms

But Mark 6 shows us

a powerful truth:

you can be in a storm

and still be in the will of God

This passage reminds us

that storms don’t mean

you’re forsaken—

often

they mean you’re being formed

Statement: The storms of our life is designed to conformed us to be more like Christ, that Christ would see Himself when He looks at us

Question: So what should we do when we’re caught in a storm while walking in obedience?

“ Be of Good Cheer “

1st Don’t Worry being in His Will (v. 45)

Don’t get yourself SICK

Over something

Jesus has allowed

In your life

Mark 6:45 CSB

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.

This was a storm

That Jesus sent His disciples into

It was not a storm that the disciples

Walked into [ Storm/God’s Plan ]

WHY ???

Worry about something

That Jesus sent you to

His will is not always Peaceful—but it is always Purposeful — Preparing You

“ Be of Good Cheer “

1st Don’t Worry being in His Will (v. 45)

2nd He’s Developing you Through the Downpour (vv. 47–49)

Mark 6:48–49 KJV 1900

48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

Footnote: PLEASE note this, that these men are professional fishermen who have sea experience. And the un-handling of this sea experience proves that they don’t KNOW everything and how to HANDLE everything

They are in the mist

of a downpour

Storms are not just situations to endure—

they are seasons to grow

Jesus was using the downpour

to develop His disciples

in ways the sunshine never could

How does Jesus develop us through the downpour?

a) The Downpour Develops Our Endurance

Verse 48 says they were toiling—struggling, straining, rowing hard. — Sounds like LIFE

Verse 48 — “ He saw them “

Saw ( Grk ) — means perceive, to know

Verse 48 — 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing;

“ Toiling “ — means to torture, to vex , to be extremely troubled

The storm was TORTURING THEM - VEXING THEM - EXTREMELY TROUBLING THEM but that’s not what Jesus sent them in the storm to experience .

When the storm becomes TORTURING - VEXING - EXTREMELY TROUBLING we have to step back and say Jesus I’m handling this storm WRONG…..

Development happens in resistance. No resistance = no strength.

Strength Requires Resistance

In the gym

muscles grow

when they are pushed against resistance—

like lifting weights

The heavier the weight (resistance)

the more the muscle

is challenged

Without resistance

muscles stay weak and undeveloped

No resistance = no growth

The discomfort is what develops strength

Strength Requires Resistance

Faith Grows Through Struggles

In the same way

God uses resistance—

like storms, trials, delays, or difficulties—

to develop our spiritual strength

If life were always easy

we wouldn’t learn

how to pray deeper, trust fully, or endure longer

James 1:3-4 (NLT):

“For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

So, when I say

“development happens in resistance,”

it means:

God uses life’s pressures to build something in us that comfort never could

And when I say “no resistance = no strength,” I mean:

A resistance-free life might be easy, but it wouldn’t produce strong, mature, faith-filled believers.

a) The Downpour Develops Our Endurance

b) The Downpour Develops Our Dependence

They had just seen the miracle of the loaves (v. 41–44), but forgot it (v. 52).

The storm exposed

the fact that their faith

was still shallow—

they marveled because

they didn’t expect Jesus to show up

In other words

Your last storm

Before this storm

Should make us depend on Jesus more

In this present storm than the last one

a) The Downpour Develops Our Endurance

b) The Downpour Develops Our Dependence

c) The Downpour Develops Our Discernment

Jesus came walking on the sea

but they thought

He was a ghost (v. 49).

In storms

our vision can be clouded

Jesus wants to

Develop our discernment of Him

Through each storm of life

Where we become more clear

In the Storm

Of who He is

“ Be of Good Cheer “

Development in the downpour

means learning to recognize

Jesus even when

He looks different than we expected

Discernment grows

when we stop

trusting our feelings

and start trusting His voice

Mark 6:50 KJV 1900

50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

“It is I.” The pronoun is used here for emphasis. Literally, “It is I and nobody else.” “Be not afraid.” The present imperative is used

forbidding the continuance of an action already going on It is “Stop being afraid.” They were afraid.

It’s like in Exodus 3:14

Exodus 3:14 KJV 1900

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

🌍  “The name should thus be understood as referring to Yahweh’s being the creator and sustainer of all that exists...”

In other words we should understand Yahweh (YHWH) as meaning God who IS—who exists, who is eternally present, and who is actively involved in creation and history.

So rather than just being a title like “I exist,” it’s a statement of God’s eternal, active presence—He is, He is here, and He is doing.

🧠 Summary (Plain Language)

When God says

“I AM,”

He’s revealing a name

that means more than just existing—

it reflects that He is 

always present, 

always active,

and the source of all life and history.

God isn’t a distant being;

He’s the God who is—now, always, and in everything happening.

Mark 6:50 KJV 1900

50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

Translation. For they all saw Him, and were agitated. But He immediately spoke with them; and He says to them, Be of good courage. It is I. Stop being afraid.

“ Be of Good Cheer “

1st Don’t Worry being in His Will (v. 45)

2nd He’s Developing you Through the Downpour (vv. 47–49)

3rd You’re going from Teaching to Testing (v.52)

Mark 6:52 KJV 1900

52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

Jesus had just taught them

about His power

to provide (feeding 5,000)

but now He’s testing their faith in a storm

Storms reveal

what we really believe

What we heard in the calm

must be trusted in the chaos

And what threatens to drown you is already under His feet

“He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased…” (v. 51)

“ Be of Good Cheer “

1st Don’t Worry in His Will (v. 45)

2nd He’s Developing you Through the Downpour (vv. 47–49)

3rd From Teaching to Testing (v.52)

Conclusion Illustration: The Bridge Builder

A builder constructed a massive bridge over a canyon. It looked strong, but people feared crossing it.

To prove its strength, he loaded a truck full of cement, drove it to the middle of the bridge, and stood on top of it.

He shouted, “If this bridge can hold me at my heaviest, it can hold you at your lightest!”

Jesus does the same in our storm. He steps into it with us and says:

“Be of good cheer—it is I.”

Closing Exhortation:

Don’t Worry in His Will – You may be in the storm, but you’re not outside His plan.

Developing Through the Downpour – God uses the storm to build strength, trust, and discernment.

From Teaching to Testing – What you learn in peace must be lived out in pressure.

“If Jesus sent you in, He’ll show up before it sinks.”

Be of good cheer—your Savior is stronger than your storm!