Jesus Removes Our Fears

Jesus Removes our Fears

John 6:16-24 Matthew 14:25-33

Two gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor, and a young trainee were checking meters in a suburban neighborhood. They parked their truck at the end of the alley and worked their way to the other end. At the last house, a woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter.

Finishing the meter check the senior supervisor challenged his younger co-worker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck, to prove that an older guy could still outrun a younger one.

As they came running up to the truck, they realized that the lady from the last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong. Gasping for breath she said, "When I see two gas men running full speed away from my house, I figured I’d better run too."

Have you ever been scared of something? Maybe You’ve never been scared that your house was going to blow up or something. But have you ever been scared of something; I mean really scared? Maybe it was a first date, a job interview, white water rafting, or bungee jumping. Several years ago, a man by the name of S.L. Potter celebrated his 90th birthday by bungee jumping off a 210-foot platform. He was interviewed afterward, and he said, "I'm cold, I'm tired, may I please have my teeth back!" When anxiety comes into our lives, fear can slow down our steps and cause us to seek complacency rather than step out in faith. Where do you go to have your fear alleviated? Today I want us to look at a story in John 6.

The disciples were riding an emotional roller coaster. Jesus had just fed a crowd of thousands by multiplying a little boy's lunch. John 6:14,15 says, "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

The other gospels tell us that Jesus withdrew to pray. He knew he needed that quiet intimate time with his Father, and that was more important than being followed around by a crowd. From this story let’s first notice:

I. The Apprehension of the Disciples John 6:16-18

Look at John 6:16-17. “When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus hadn’t joined them yet.” Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the boat because He knew they were in danger. You see the crowd was now pumped up and there was a movement among the masses to make this miracle worker their King. In their eyes, He was their new food supplier, and free food at that.

But before the scene could turn into a political rally and the disciples started getting their egos involved, Jesus thwarted their plans. He sent them out in the boat to cross the sea of Galilee and verse 15 of John 6: says that “He retreated to the mountains”, in other words, He gave them the slip and they couldn't find him.

John 6:18 says, "A strong wind was blowing, and the waters grew rough."

That's why they were apprehensive. Have you ever been out on a boat, with some friends, and suddenly the weather conditions change? You’re a long way away from where you can dock, and you see the sky changing. It becomes a race against time.

The disciples were crossing near the northern shore, where the width of the Sea of Galilee was a little less than 6 miles. They’d been in a country place belonging to a city; Bethsaida.

Now Jesus sent them toward another Bethsaida, a suburb north of Capernaum. The name Bethsaida means a fishing place, so it's not surprising that the same name was given to two different villages beside the Sea of Galilee.

While they were rowing, they found themselves going into the storm, and they were rowing hard, but not making much progress. The Bible says when they were about halfway across something happened.

Do you know what happened?

II. The Appearance of Jesus John 6:19-20

That's the 2nd area that we want to study.

Now notice that Jesus is the one who sent his friends in the boat. Wait a minute, “I thought Jesus knew everything? Why would he send his buddies into such danger?” Well, I think in his wisdom He knew that they were in greater danger if they stayed with the crowd, because worse than fierce winds and high waves would be the disciples being swept away by the excitement of this fanatical crowd, who evidently put them on a pedestal simply because of their close relationship with Jesus.