He's In The Boat With Us

“HE’S IN THE BOAT WITH US!”

Mark 4:35-41

“On the same day, when the evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. & other little boats were also with Him. & a great windstorm arose, & the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. & they awoke Him & said to Him. ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose & rebuked the wind & said to the sea, ‘Peace be still!’ & the wind ceased & there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ & they feared exceedingly, & said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind & the sea obey Him!?!’ ”

INTRODUCTION:

Jesus had just left a great time of teaching & preaching with the people & the disciples. Many people were touched & saved by the teaching & preaching of the word. Lives were transformed by the Son of the Living God! Jesus Christ Himself!

Jesus tells the disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side.” So they did as He said & there was a group of boats going with them. These were people who didn’t want to Jesus leave them or leave Jesus for that matter. So they went with Him to the other side. Now, Jesus was tired after preaching & teaching all that time so He went to the back or the stern of the boat & lay down & went to sleep.

Now we know from the passage we just read what happened. There arose a great storm on the sea. Scripture says that the boat was being swamped. Now what do you do when a boat is being swamped. You DO the only thing you CAN DO! .

YOU START BAILING WATER!

IT MAKES SENSE DOESN’T IT?

REMEMBER THOUGH:

I DIDN’T SAY BAIL OUT, I SAID BAIL WATER!

We have to know the disciples were busily & frantically bailing water from the boat so it wouldn’t sink. Many of these disciples were fishermen. They knew what to do. Surely they’d faced similar struggles such as this if they were ever out on the seas for any length of time. Surely they’d have faced some storms & having faced them they knew what to do. They bailed water. Bailing OUT of the boat will only get you killed, but bailing water is the most sensible thing at this point, or so it seemed!

BUT, IT WASN’T WORKING! Surely they had been bailing water for quite some time before someone got the brilliant idea that said,

‘HEY! JESUS IS IN THE BOAT! HE’S BACK THERE SLEEPING! SURELY HE DOESN’T WANT US TO DIE! SOMEBODY WAKE HIM UP! SOMEBODY CALL ON HIM BEFORE WE GO UNDER!”

Folk, I want you to think about something here for a moment. IN THE MIDST OF FEAR, TRIAL, & TRIBULATION BAILING OUT THE BOAT MAY MAKE SENSE, BUT IT’S NOT ALWAYS THE WISEST MOVE ON OUR COLLECTIVE PARTS!

DON’T GET ME WRONG, WE DON’T NEED TO LET THE BOAT GET SWAMPED WITH WATER & SINK BUT THERE IS A “SPIRITUAL ISSUE” HERE GREATER THAN WHAT WE SEE WITH OUR EYES! IT WASN’T TILL THEY CALLED ON JESUS THAT THEY GOT WHAT THEY NEEDED!

WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT JESUS “IS” IN THE BOAT WITH US! HE’S NOT GOING TO LET US GO UNDER IF WE HAVE FAITH IN HIM!

Waking Jesus up was the right thing to do. But fearing that they were going to go under was not! JESUS WAS IN THERE WITH HIM! HE WASN’T GOING TO LET THEM GO UNDER!

They made a “FATAL ERROR” that day in their Theology & Faith. They made a statement that troubled Jesus when they said...

“HEY, DON’T YOU CARE THAT

WE’RE DYING OUT HERE?”

Folk, sometimes we can get a little “FATAL” in our “Theology & Faith” as well. We may not use the same TERMINOLOGY they used but we lump it in our throats, we say in our eyes, we scream it our faces & voices, we say it in our minds!

Always Remember Hebrews 11:1:

“FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCES OF THINGS HOPED

FOR & THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN!”

Remember this one things this morning! JESUS IS IN THE BOAT WITH US! No matter what the “ECONOMIC CRISIS” is or may be “OUTSIDE” these walls or for that fact “INSIDE” these walls! He “IS” in the bat with us & He “IS” our God, He “IS” our Savior! & He “IS” our Provider!