|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
READ: Mark 6:45
CHALLENGE: Be Encouraged Through Jesus and Don’t Be Afraid
What’s the big idea of the passage? The disciples are struggling with the dark, contrary wind, waves, and their own fears of doom. Jesus will wind up telling them to be encouraged and don’t be afraid. Thus, a big crux of the passage is found in that command, don’t be afraid.
Anxiety is one of the biggest mental health issues affecting from 1/4 to 2/3rds of the population depending on what stat you’re looking at. I believe one of the big culprits is the media which makes money selling fears. We face the unknown, big hurdles, the future, our own mortality, and uncertainty. Thus, the admonition from Jesus to not be afraid is culturally very relevant.
Christ is the reason we don’t need to slink through life scared!
(trans.) How do we battle our fears?
- CHECK FEARS BY FOLLOWING CHRIST’S INSTRUCTIONS
Vv45-46 – Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and go on ahead of him. They probably did not want to do that, but Jesus insisted. The crowds had wanted to make him a king and perhaps Jesus did not want his disciples getting caught up in that kind of thinking.
Everything that happens in the story starts with obedience to get into the boat and cross the lake. Knowing you’re doing the right thing brings a lot of peace. You’re safer and have less to fear.
Fears get multiplied by disobedience. What kind of fears come through wandering? You might lose an important relationship. You might lose a financial position, your health, sobriety, or respect. That brings pain.
When you’re doing the right thing, you don’t have to cover things up and fear you might get found out. If you have to hide it, you probably shouldn’t do it. I’ve seen people step into a sin and it whisks them away as if they had just stepped into a swollen river. Trying drugs can be instantly destructive.
We have general rules that protect us. For instance, stay off thin ice and look both ways before you cross the road, and don’t play with matches was a big one. I love the sign on Forman Road when it intersects 307 …. LOOK AGAIN! Don’t look at your phone while driving is important. The Bible is full of precepts that keep us safe. Blessings follow obedience.
Do the right thing and you’ll have less to fear. I don’t need to fear the flashing blue lights behind me when I’m going the speed limit or not THAT much above it.
The disciples encounter strong winds and waves but at least they know that they are following God. They are in the center of His will. When encountering a storm, it’s good to know that you’re in His will and doing the right thing. Want to handle fears? Stay on the path.
- CHECK FEARS BY KNOWING THAT JESUS IS WITH YOU
- Jesus Prays
What did Jesus do after he sent the disciples across the lake? He prayed. My first thought is this. If Jesus needs to pray, I need to pray.
What is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God. It doesn’t require a special prayer dictionary or super special spiritual language or anything other than normal words. Many of the prayers in the Bible are very simple. The Lord’s prayer is concise and it’s a beautiful prayer.
What are we praying about? I’ll praise God. Confess sins. And make requests. I’ll pray for family and people in need. I’ll pray for the church and the world. I’m often praying for wisdom. Prayer also gives us strength. Certainly there are blessings that would not happen apart from prayer.
Share what’s on your heart with God. We bring our anxieties and cast them upon Him. It’s real!
Please know that every believer has equal footing. My prayers are not getting to heaven quicker than yours. When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he wanted his men to pray along with him. All their prayers counted, not just His.
Prayer is a connection and appreciation. I really believe it shows our care and appreciation for God. We’re including him in our lives. I love it when people are interested enough to include you in their lives by sharing what’s going on. It’s beautiful.
What might Christ have been praying about? Was he praying for his disciples? And better yet, does Jesus pray for you today? 1 Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus. We know that Jesus prayed for us all in John 17. We know that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us when we don’t know how to pray.
There is one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ. If He’s praying for us then He’s with us in spirit, that’s for sure. And that helps me to know that I’m going to be OK.
- Jesus is Aware of Where You’re at
Vv47-48 – Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,
Later that night! It’s tough to see in the dark, yet Jesus sees the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was blowing in their face. Since it’s night time, I wonder if there wasn’t moon light by which Jesus could see them. We could argue that Jesus knows all and that’s why He saw them. Truth! But the disciples also saw Him as he got closer.
However, even there in the dark, Jesus knew where He was. Psalm 139:7-12 – Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
From the heavens to the depths, God is there. From sunrise to sunset, God is there. Even the darkness cannot hide us because He still sees. And this is an example of this concept. At night and in the dark, on a lake, with possible white caps, He can see them.
(trans) That means that …
- Jesus Sees Us When We’re Strained
They are in the middle of the lake when he catches a view of them. They would have to be several miles from land in any direction. When you’re far from security, that’s scary too, right? I’d rather kayak near places where I can swim to shore than be out in the middle. When you’re far from land so to speak, you’re far from comfort too. There are plenty of dangers and it’s unnerving.
Ever feel like you’re out there? Like you’re straining? Perhaps to get your finances in order. To raise your children to be godly. To provide every day. To balance the busyness of life. To run a business. To keep up. You’re out there straining at the oars. Know this, He sees you.
Struggle is an unchangeable dynamic in life. God is aware of where you are.
- Jesus is Greater Than Problems
This is the famous walk on the water story. He saw them and he headed their way walking on water. Of course he can. They were working hard to row across the wavy waters, yet Jesus is walking on top of it. What’s a problem for you is not for God. Is there anything that’s too hard for God? Jesus is not limited by the things that limit us. We who are limited by many things are praying to the one unlimited by nothing!
- CHECK FEARS BY NOT THINKING THE WORST
Vv49-50 – but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.
He was so close to them that they saw Jesus but didn’t know it was Jesus. It was still dark and they saw something walking and they thought it was a ghost. They thought the worst!
- When You’re Jumping to Conclusions
The unknown is a leading cause of fright. You don’t know what’s going to happen. You’re unsure of the future. As a result, you might jump to some pretty negative conclusions We tend to think the worst!
They see Jesus and what is the conclusion. It’s a ghost! There was a belief that harmful spirits haunted the seas. So why be scared? They thought that that spirit would hurt them somehow. Was Jesus a ghost? No. And this is a great reminder that just because you think it, doesn’t make it true. We think a lot of things because we’ve already jumped to some ultra negative view of the future.
They didn’t say hi to me, they must be mad! The boss wants to see me, I must be getting fired. The doctor wants to me to call him … I must be dying! They’re late, they must have been in an accident. Our minds conjure up endless disasters and negative outcomes and we worry.
In this case, they were not expecting to see someone so it startled them. Have you ever startled anyone? They didn’t know you were there and you walked over and and they practically jump out of their skin at just the mere sight of you. Makes you feel really good, doesn’t it. You never startle someone and they say, “I felt a warm sense of peace”! I’d jump out to scare my wife and she ran in place! You get startled and it’s an instant rush of adrenaline!
Things spring up! Big bills. Set backs. Betrayal. Now what? When we encounter the unknown, fear will lead us to paint danger all over it. Stop jumping to the worst possible conclusion.
- When You’re Reacting to Irrational Fears
They shout out. In a loud and powerful voice they’re screaming. Perhaps like a bunch of proverbial school girls. Their emotions have gotten the best of them.
Some of our fears are very irrational. And that means that there is no basis in reality. Some of you are terrified of the same snake that I would pick up without batting an eye.
Would a spirit sink them? Was that even a thing? How many fishermen never made it back alive because they saw a ghost? I wonder how many funeral services talked about how the ghost of the lake did them in? I’d like to suggest the number was zero. Yet, even though there’s no evidence that a ghost has ever done anything, they’re terrified!
Do we really have something to be afraid of? Is it rational? Emotions can get the best of you and the fear is real even when the reason for fear is irrational.
- When You’re Doomsday Thinking
They are terrified. The word means to “shake, to stir up, to unsettle, to throw into confusion”. They are beside themselves in fear! Shaken. Discombobulated!
There was an old show called Lost in Space. And there was a cowardly character … a Mr Smith. And he ran around all the time saying, “We’re doomed, we’ll never make it”.
I hear of people who say they are “doom scrolling” and I assume it’s because they think the world is coming to an end. The media loves to use fear to sell. They’ll tell you all kinds of unlikely outcomes. And people really get worked up. Like the one woman in Florida who did a Tik Tok for China to come to America and conquer us so we’ll be safer. Please – send her there now. The fact that you could make the video shows you have freedom! Complete nonsense.
We have choices as to what voice we listen to. It’s not true that Jesus is a ghost. It’s not true that they are about to be harmed. The fact is that they are going to be helped.
They are obviously thinking the worst. I’ve had people call me and they’re already down the road to the worst case possible. I’ve had to talk them off the ledge by bringing them back to the truth.
Fears can be irrational. The fear is real but the phantom we’ve conjured up is not. So let’s assume that God is near and not panic when we encounter something scary. Let’s never say, we’re doomed and we’ll never make it.
- CHECK FEARS BY TAKING COURAGE IN CHRIST
- Listen to Jesus
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
When Jesus is in our life, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
- Take courage
He’s telling them to be brave; to be of good cheer! Perhaps we could say it like this, “Get a grip”! “Get a hold of yourself man”! You’re coming apart so be brave would mean to stop panicking.
We are repeatedly told in the Bible to be strong and courageous because God is with us! You need to add some positivity into those negative thoughts. We serve a great God. Courage! Courage. Face your fears with it. Face your problems with strength! We don’t have it on our own but we do with God.
- It is I
This is another “I am” statement. Clearly this entire scenario is showing the deity of Jesus Christ. So once they know that Jesus is there, this should calm all fears. It’s not a ghost. It’s me. Sometimes in the heartache and problems, we need to see Jesus.
I’m always happy when a friend shows up to give a hand! To have some support and reinforcement is really big. It’s me – I’m a friendly. And not only is Jesus friendly, Jesus is God.
Focus on Jesus and fears start to go away.
- Don’t Be Afraid
They were already scared nearly witless and Jesus tells them to stop being scared. I’ve seen fear be a driver in people’s lives and cause them to make some bad decisions. Fear is the opposite of faith.
We worry about a lot of things and it’s not good for us. We need to realize that God has it handled so we don’t need to fear. Jesus really muscles out the fears that would run amok in our lives.
I know certain things are risky. It’s times of not knowing what’s going to happen. There’s apprehension of what could happen. Surgeries will bring that out. A bad prognosis.
And this is what God’s presence should do in our lives. It should lead us to no longer be afraid. We don’t want to be scared any longer.
- Take Comfort In His Presence
Vv51-52 – Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
What are we focused on? What are we looking at? What do we set our sights on? We are told in the Bible that God will never leave us nor forsake us. In one story Peter comes out onto the water with Jesus. He sunk because he looked at the waves instead of Jesus.
Jesus promises to be with us until the very end of the age.
What does that mean, for they had no understood about the loaves? Their hearts were hardened. They still were underselling Jesus. Still not realizing who he truly is. May our hearts not be calloused.
It’s amazing how we can see so much, yet have so little faith. When the Jewish people left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea through the parted waters, they should have never needed anything else. Yet what did they say? They said that God brought them there to kill them. Were there not enough graves in Egypt? Why would God rescue them to kill them?
They saw much but their hearts were hardened. We’ve seen enough of God in the big picture of life to trust him with the details. We can’t become fearful everytimes a tree branch bangs against the window of life.