I Don't Get It

Where we left off

So last week Charles left off in our series going through the Gospel of Mark with the feeding of the 5000. I’m not going to spend anytime talking about food today so we can all rest easy. So just so you kinda know what’s going to happen this morning i’ll give you a rundown. I am going to finish off chapter 6 today and I might actually go back into the feeding of the 5000 for just a few minutes because our text today references back to it.

Before I really start digging into the sermon I just want to tell yall to forgive me if I seem a little tired. We just got back from an awesome time at Super Summer yesterday and I am wore out. It really was an amazing camp and I know that God moved among our teens and Elisha and I as well. I want to sincerely thank you guys for sending us and investing into the lives of our students. It really means a lot.

Now as we pick up in our series through Mark Jesus is going to be sending the crowd and the disciples away and that is where we pick up in Mark Chapter 6 verses 45-46

New Living Translation (Chapter 6)

Jesus Walks on Water

45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Now the first thing we get to understand here is that Jesus is modeling certain behaviors and activities for his disciples and us if we can pay enough attention to grab it. So what is Jesus showing us in the 2 verses.

Sometimes you have to get away from even your best of friends.

Jesus is showing us that sometimes we need a break and that is ok. There is nothing wrong with needing some alone time.

What He is also showing us here is that we all really need quiet, uninterrupted, alone time with God where we can pray and seek His will for our lives. It’s very hard to have an intimate conversation with God when your friends are around. Even the best of friends and family. The reason being is because our attention will be split. We may not listen as close or be as open in prayer as we need to be.

So Jesus sends the disciples away puts them in the boat and says yall go on ahead to the other side. Well they have some kinda difficulty making it across the lake. And after we read this next passage we will understand why.

New Living Translation (Chapter 6)

47 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50 They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!”

There are a lot of real interesting things in these 3 verses. What they all have in common is Jesus is showing His divine nature to the disciples and to us through each of His actions.

The first thing that jumped out to me was Super Natural eyesight. I mean seriously I can’t even read stuff more than a few feet away. Jesus saw the disciples were in trouble, He saw how hard they were rowing, and that the wind and the waves were working against them. He saw all of this from being on land while they were in the middle of the lake.

Then there’s the obvious one in here right. Jesus walks on water. He walked on top of the water. You know some people are made for being in the water learn to swim real quick and love the water and some people just aren’t made for the water. But there has only ever been two people that ever walked on water. One named Peter didn’t make it very far. The other, Jesus, is the one Peter cried out to for help.

Now if you notice it says Jesus was going to walk right past them. He was gonna cruise right on by and be sitting on the shore like what took yall so long.

But the disciples see Him. Well kind of. They see Him but they don’t because they cried out in terror thinking He was a ghost. They didn’t not see Him on purpose it just kind of happened in the middle of the intensity of the situation. Kind of a heat of the battle kind of thing. So here is the next thing we need to understand.

Sometimes during the heat of our hardest battles we unintentionally take our focus off Jesus and either miss Him or fail to recognize Him.

It’s in those moments when we miss Jesus walking right past us. The small still voice. It happens to all of us. I used to read this account and laugh at these guys like how did yall miss Jesus. Then at some point I realized I miss Him too. I miss Him when I’m in a battle, or things aren’t going my way, or everything that can go wrong is going wrong, when I can’t tell up from down and wave after wave after wave is fighting against me and I miss Him. Or I see Him but don’t recognize Him.

You might ask well how do you see Jesus but don’t recognize Him. Well just like we saw last week Jesus wants us to come along side Him to help in His work. He may send a friend or a family member to talk to you or just to lend an ear or be a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes we lash out at those folks at first then apologize and let them do their work right We have a hard time seeing and identifying Jesus when we are more focused on the problem than the problem solver.

Now moving into verse 50 through 56. This will take us through chapter 6 and I’m going to read the all 6 verses and pull a couple of things out.

New Living Translation (Chapter 6)

50 They were all terrified when they saw him.But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” 51 Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52 for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.53 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore 54 and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 55 and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

First thing I want to tell you is when Jesus shows up you don’t have to be afraid. When Jesus shows up you don’t have to worry anymore. And the best part is those who have placed their faith in Jesus don’t have to wait for Him to walk out to them on the water. If you have placed your faith in Jesus you don’t have to wait for Him to show up on the scene when life is crashing down all around you. You don’t have to wait for it to seem like all hope is lost because you as a believer have Jesus with you all the time. He’s right here. He’s right here. He’s right here. And that’ His message for you today .....Don’t be afraid I am here. I’ll take it one step further THE I AM IS HERE. God almighty creator sustainer provider healer defender redeemer HE IS RIGHT HERE!!!

I’m gonna come back to verse 52 in just a second. But once they landed on the shore people recognized Jesus and brought the sick to Him to be healed. They knew that Jesus could heal them and their loved ones. Jesus knew where they were and came to their shore got out of the boat and went to work healing and restoring the people.

That brings me to my next thing we need to understand.

Jesus is there to help us if we just call out to Him. He demonstrates His power all through this text walking on water, healing the sick, calming the wind and waves. He hasn’t lost His power, He hasn’t gotten tired, He is still making miracles happen.

ok so real quick verse 52 52 for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

There are a lot of different reasons the disciples wouldn’t understand that miracle. Charles gave some of those last week....The didn’t give of their own but went and gave of someone else’s.

Maybe they didn’t understand that God was there feeding His people with Heavenly food.

Maybe they weren’t good at math and didn’t understand multiplication.

Here’s what I see when I read that particular miracle. I see a pattern that Jesus displays there and then over and over and over again throughout His ministry at the last supper after His resurrection and EVEN NOW IN THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS. Took me a minute to get it but I’ll do my best to show you.

Check out verse 41 again from last week…It’s not in your notes so this is bonus material at this point.....

New Living Translation Chapter 6

41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.

Notice this pattern....Jesus took, then blessed, then broke, then gave..

He repeats this process at the last supper He took, He blessed, He broke, then He gave

And this process, this miracle, continues even today with believers

He takes us, He blesses us, He breaks us, then He gives us.

This is a pattern that I noticed. Something simple but profound. Something astounding. See He took me, then He blessed me, then He broke me, (those things that don’t need to be in my life, attitudes, actions, words, deeds, thoughts, that don’t line up with who I was created to be) then He gave me to others so I could be involved in spreading the Gospel and advancing the Kingdom. If you are a believer this morning your somewhere on this process....and believe me some of them repeat. Celebrate that process.

With that said all throughout the text today Jesus demonstrates His divine power and models for us certain things we need to understand. We need to find ourselves in a moment where we DARE TO BELIEVE both the actions of Jesus and the words of Jesus.

When He says don’t be afraid He means it. Don’t be afraid of that diagnosis. Don’t be afraid of the news. Don’t be afraid of whatever life throws your way. I AM is with you.

For some of you this morning you don’t have that hope or that promise. You are out here being the lone wolf trying to tackle each problem as it comes and watching them stack more and more and wave after wave problem after problem. And no where to turn. Jesus tells us to take courage because He is here.

He is here right now and he wants to have a relationship with you. He died so we could have a right relationship with God. The Bible says all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. If you are here this morning and you want that relationship with Jesus if you know that you need that relationship with Jesus come up here when the band starts playing. I will pray with you and help you.