ONE NIGHT WITH JESUS PART II
TEXT: MARK 14:22-33
Introduction:
Let’s review what we’ve already learned. He sent and He went: vss 22, 23. He knew of the coming storm, but He sent them out into it. He, the Alpha and Omega – He knows the end from the beginning and all the in-between. When we are in a storm, we are not necessarily out of the Lord's will, but right where He put us. If God send us, everything will be OK. He allows trials to come to help us grow our faith. That is the key: HE sent them.
He went up into a mountain to pray. When he sends us out on the sea of this troubled world, He is only a prayer away. He cannot forget us, because our names are engraved in the palms of His hands (Isa. 49: 14, 15). Even though we may forget Him, He never forgets us.
Jesus prayed and He stayed - vss 23, 24. Jesus went to pray. Even though He Himself, being God, was prayed to -- He was also a man, and as a man He needed to pray. He had multiplied the loaves and fishes and fed more than 5,000 men, not including the women and children, and He felt He needed to be alone, to commune with His Father, and be replenished in His human spirit. We too should follow the example of our Master and set aside time to pray, and in solitary communion, allow Him to feed our souls. In the secret place of prayer is where our faith is built up, and where we keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 20, 21).
Jesus also stayed. He stayed until it was evening, and until the disciples were in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves and the wind was blowing unfavorable. Mark 6: 48 says they were "toiling in rowing," (hard/painful effort) and Jesus saw them. The wind was "contrary": not blowing in a favorable direction for them to reach the opposite shore, so they could not use the sails, but they were dutifully working at the oars to achieve the goal Christ had set for them. He stayed until sometime between 3 and 6 A.M. In other words, He prayed a long time. He wanted to linger in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We too should follow our Master's example and get in the practice of having a good, long season of prayer.
When Jesus prayed, He was not praying just for Himself, He was praying for His own, because He is always interceding for His own. So too, should we intercede for others when we pray. So, in the storms of life, remember, He is staying in prayer for us. Also, it is only by prayer that we are able to withstand the wiles of the devil. The only way to pray Biblically, is by giving attention to the Word of God, for "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10: 17).
He walked: He came to them in the midst of the sea. They had feasted earlier, but after the blessing, many times the Lord will allow a storm to come. We also learned that tests come to us by degrees. The first time they were in the storm He was in the boat with them. This time, He let them go on – seemingly alone, so they could exercise their faith. After the feeding of the 5,000, they each had a basket of food to themselves, but after the blessing, that’s when the storm may come. We noticed also, that He could have calmed the storm from where He had been praying, but instead, He came to them personally. The same One who gave Elisha the power to make iron float on water, in 2 Kings 6: 6, is the same One who now walked on water.
Then of course, we read of the incredible miracle of walking on the water – showing His power over the elements, and over all things He has made (Col. 1: 16, 17). We don’t know how He did it, He could have condensed the water that was under Him each step He took, and caused it to congeal into a state that would support His weight; or He could have suspended the action of gravity upon Himself. We read in Job, "He treads upon the waves of the sea" (9: 8). In Isaiah He "rides upon the wings of the wind" (51: 10).
He Talked: He immediately calmed their fears by speaking to them. He still does so today: He speaks to us BY HIS WORD, and BY HIS SPIRIT. What the Bible says is what God says. It is God’s Word written. He will speak peace to us in the midst of the troubled seas of life. His name to us is peace and joy. We learned that He did not immediately calm the storm, but He said “Don’t be afraid. I am here with you.” Even if He seemingly waits, and waits, He will always come on time. He said, “If my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15: 7).
Let’s continue on with our study.
IV. Faith Stepped Out, Then Fear Brought Doubt vss 28 - 30
A. Faith stepped out: We must be reminded again, that Peter and several other of these men were commercial fishermen and made their living on the water. They knew it was not humanly possible for a man to walk on water. Water, at least in its liquid state, will not support the weight of a person so that they can actually walk on it.
B. But they had seen Jesus do many miracles. They had not seen Jesus walk on water before, but they knew that if anyone could actually walk on water, it would be Him
C. Peter was the impetuous one -- the headstrong one -- a man of action. He lived large -- he had big victories and he made big mistakes, but he acted! He was the one who proclaimed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But he was also the one of whom Jesus had to say just after that, "Get thee behind me satan, thou art an offense to me, because you do not understand the things that are of God, but those that are of men" (Matt. 16: 16 & 23).
D. But Peter had also seen the lame walk, the dumb talk; the blind see again, 5,000 fed with a few loaves and fishes. So now, in his mind he determined how he could know for sure if it was really Jesus: If it was Jesus, Jesus could allow him to walk on water just like Him.
E. When he heard Jesus say: "Come," that was all he needed. He knew His master's voice. So Peter came down out of the ship, and stepped out on the water! He did actually walk on water! The scripture says, "He walked on the water." None of the other disciples had the courage -- the faith to do this. He is the only person recorded in scripture, other than Jesus who did this. A man actually walked on water! So let's not be too hard of Peter.
1. The Key: We must HEAR the voice of Jesus before we act, or we will act on our own initiative, and we will sink!
2. How do we hear His word: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10: 17). So we must read and study His Word, and pray in accordance with it, so we can clearly hear and recognize His voice
3. Prov. 16:3 says, "Commit your works unto the Lord, and your thoughts shall be established." The Amplified Version says, "Roll all your works upon God; commit and trust them wholly unto Him, and He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable with His will. Then shall your plans be established and succeed."
4. Jesus said it similarly: "Abide in me, and my words abide in you. Then you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you" (Jhn. 15: 7).
F. BY FAITH HE STEPPED OUT ON THE TROUBLED WATERS. AND LIKE HIM, WE TOO, CAN STEP OUT BY FAITH ON THE TROUBLED WATERS OF OUR LIVES, AND WALK ON THE VERY WATERS THAT TROUBLE US! HOW? BY FAITH!
G. He had to ignore all that he knew about the nature of water. He had to ignore his senses. The sound of the raging wind. The sight of the rolling waves. The flashes of lightning. The feel of the water under his feet.
1. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). That word “substance; is from the Greek word: "hupistasus" (hoop-os'- tas-is). It is a compound word, from two words meaning, "a setting under; a support." The literal or concrete meaning of hupistasus is "essence." The essence of something is that which makes a thing what it is. The essence is the intrinsic, fundamental nature of a thing, and its most important quality.
2. The Greek word translated as "evidence" is "el'-eng-khos." It is derived from another word: "elengho," which means "proof, or conviction." Proof is also a legal word. In the law, proof is conclusive evidence. All the evidence that is submitted to the jury is not necessarily considered by them to be proof. The jury must sift through the “evidence” to determine what of it, if any is “proof.” The dictionary says proof is "all the facts, admissions, and conclusions drawn from evidence which together operate to determine a verdict or judgment." The King James translators translated the word as: “evidence,” which is a valid meaning, but the Holy Spirit caused Paul to use the exact Greek word: meaning: Proof, which is convicting and conclusive evidence - or proof.
3. IMPORTANT! So this tells us that faith is: the support, the essence, the intrinsic, fundamental nature and the most important quality of the thing we hope for. Faith is the proof, admissible in the court of human endeavor by which we can determine AND make a judgment. Faith is belief in action. Faith acts!
4. We have all heard or used the statement: Step out by faith. Peter did that literally -- his faith became the support under his feet as they stepped on the water. Faith was the conclusive proof that he could indeed do the thing that his senses were telling him he could not do. So, Peter (1) looked at Jesus. Then he (2) heard/listened to Jesus. Then he (3) OBEYED Jesus, when Jesus said he should come to Him. Centuries before the prophet Samuel told King Saul that, "Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams" (I Sam. 15:22). The Hebrew word translated as: hearken, means to "give heed to; to regard; to mark well." So Peter gave heed to and regarded well the command to COME.
5. Note also, that the scripture says, "He walked toward Jesus." To walk toward someone of something, you have to be looking at the thing or the person. So Peter had his eyes fixed on Jesus -- at least at first. He was ignoring his senses and his circumstances, and was looking at Jesus.
a. Again, Paul wrote by the Spirit: "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, LOOKING UNTO JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND THE FINISHER OF OUR FAITH…" (Heb. 12: 1, 2).
b. Like Peter, if we want to walk by faith, and do the works of God, and obtain the things we need to accomplish His will for our lives, we too must look, not at our circumstances, BUT LOOK AT JESUS!
c. We have to ignore the natural leanings of our humanity, but instead, LOOK AT JESUS. He is our support -- He is the proof that we can do the things He has called us to do. His word -- His truth is the ultimate fact by which we can make a determination or judgment of our ability to do a thing or have a thing.
d. One last important point: we must not have faith in our faith. The "name it and claim it and frame it” group teach that if we just get the formula right; if we are able to say the right words, and work up our believing to the right fever-pitch, then we will have what we ask. But faith is a gift, and a gift must have a giver. We must not seek the gift, but the giver. We must have faith in JESUS, not faith in our faith. **READ Php. 3: 7-9**. If Peter had not heard the Lord say "Come," and had simply stepped out on his own initiative, he would have immediately sunk.
H. Fear brought doubt: The scripture then says, "But when he saw the strong wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, 'Jesus, save me.'"
1. Note these things: In order to see the strong waves, he had to look away from Jesus. He looked at his circumstances. He obeyed his senses. Instead of obeying the Lord, who told him to come to Him, he disobeyed, and looked at the wind and waves. He thought, "I can't be doing this. I know that what I am doing is impossible. Water will not hold me up."
2. Note also, when he looked at his circumstances, he was afraid. LOOKING AWAY FROM JESUS AND TO OUR CIRCUMSTANCES WILL MAKE US AFRAID. FEAR IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAITH. FAITH CANNOT OPERATE IN THE PRESENCE OF FEAR.
3. WHEN FEAR ARISES, DOUBT WILL RAISE ITS UGLY HEAD. FEAR BRINGS ALONG WITH IT, ITS TWIN: DOUBT.
4. Also notice that the scripture says, he "began to sink." Now no one "begins to sink” if standing on water. If it were possible for one to able to stand on water, even for a slight millisecond, one would not "begin" to sink. But one would SINK, DOWN-- IMMEDIATELY! So Peter had a mixture of doubt and faith. His faith had not totally left him, but it become weakened because he took his eyes off Jesus, and he “began” to sink. Maybe the water got up to neck, and realizing he’d blown it, there was no way, of himself to rise back to the top again. Many times we are like this: we believe a little, we believe some, but not enough to obtain the blessing we are seeking.
5. The Spirit tells us: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). And again, we are told in Romans 8: 15, "You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry: Abba, Father."
V. This brings us to our next point: The Lord heard his cry when he thought he would die: vss 30- 31. The ultimate summing up of all fear is the fear of death. It is the "last enemy," the specter that is stalking all of us. It is the ultimate arbiter. But Peter had read where the Psalmist David had said, (Psm. 23) "When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me." I believe his knowledge of written word, and his knowledge that he was in the presence of the LIVING WORD, caused him to call on Jesus.
A Thankfully, Peter had the sense -- helped by grace, to cry out, "Jesus save me!" There was no time for a theological discourse when he was sinking. Note also again, that he did not sink -- he "BEGAN" TO SINK. He thought he would sink. His fear overcame his faith. But Jesus was near. Jesus was with him on the water. And just the same with us: He is always with us. He is always near. He is on the water with us.
B. He is in the storm -- He is with us. When the winds of adversity blow -- He is there. When the troubled waves of life seem about to overwhelm us, He is walking on those waves. He is the master of the sea of our life. Nothing can happen to us that He does not allow.
C. So therefore, Peter, by grace, was able to call on Jesus: "HELP ME!" And the scripture says, "And IMMEDIATELY Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him." Not when he was going down for the third time, but IMMEDIATELY. He kept him from sinking. He could have said, “Well Peter, you’ll just have to suffer the consequences of your doubting spirit,” but He didn’t. He is ever merciful and full of grace. His eyes are ever upon us, and His arm is always ready to reach out for us. Even at the time of sinking out of this life and into the next, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, though they were dead yet shall they live, and those who live and believe in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25, 26).
D. Peter called, and Jesus Heard: HE HEARD HIS HEART’S CRY. I love C. H. Spurgeon’s commentary on this portion of scripture: “Jesus too will hear our cry of need. Sinking times are praying times with the Lord's servants. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves naturally driven to prayer. The fox runs to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the wood for shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the mercy seat for safety. There were but three words in the petition which Peter gasped out, but they were sufficient. Not length but strength is desirable. Our extremities are the Lord's opportunities. When danger forces an anxious cry from us, Jesus hears, and His hand reaches out to hold us up out of our troubled sea. Are we nearly engulfed by the boisterous waters of affliction? Let us then lift up our souls unto our Savior, and we may rest assured that He will not suffer us to perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.”
1. The Lord said through the Psalmist, "He will call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him" (Psalm 91: 15).
2. Again, King David said, "He sent from above. He took me. He drew out of many waters," and later in the same song said, "Your right hand has held me up" (Psalm 18: 16 & 35).
3. Note also that Jesus did not hold it against Peter because his faith began to slip. He did not say, "Too bad for you. Since you wouldn't obey me, and look only at me, and not at your circumstances, then you will just have to sink under the waters and drown." No, no, no. He is our Savior! He is our deliverer. Even if we mess up. Even if our faith weakens and we falter and slip, "Underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33: 27). The truth is, He is holding onto us. He told us in the Gospel of John that "no one is able to pluck us out of the Father's hand," and He and the Father are one.
4. We are told over and over again in scripture, and this is repeated plainly in Hebrews, that He would "…never leave us or forsake us" (Heb. 13:1).
5. Now it must also be noted that Jesus was not pleased with Peter when Peter took his eyes off Him and looked at his circumstances, but He also did not leave him to drown. Jesus wanted Peter to accomplish the task he had set for him to do when he stepped out of the boat to walk toward Him. That would have been better for Peter. His faith would have been even stronger when the next test came along. But at least, he DID walk on the water for a while. Let’s give Peter credit for that.
6. Peter had in essence prayed a prayer: "Lord, let me walk on the water and come to you." And the Lord answered his prayer. Peter did walk on the water, but because he did not continue walking by faith, he did not see his prayer fully answered -- He began to sink and could have died.
7. Jesus said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" He didn't tell Peter had NO faith, just "little faith."
8. Isn't it the same even with us and our children" We want them to grow and mature and learn. But they falter and fail. We may not be pleased with them when they disobey, and don't do what we ask them to do – that which we know from our own experience is the best for them, but we don't desert them and leave them to their own devices.
9. So too, the Lord want us, his children to "grow in grace," to grow in our faith, and do great things in His name. And when we begin to fear, and when our fear brings doubt, He is not necessarily pleased with us, but this does not mean that He doesn’t still love us, or that He will leave us alone. This does not mean that we cannot still call on Him
10. We can say, "Lord save me like you saved Peter. I'm sorry Lord I took my eyes off of You. Please don't let me sink under the weight of my circumstances. Don't let me be overwhelmed by my own doubt."
11. He will save us too. It would have been better if Peter had walked all the way to Jesus. But he didn't. He even failed the Lord again later on, even cursing and denying that he knew Jesus.
12. But Jesus never left him. He never quit loving Peter, and Peter did eventually follow the Lord, all the way to another cross. A cross where tradition and history tells us Peter himself was crucified for refusing to deny his Lord and Savior. But tradition says that Peter told his executioners he was not worthy to be crucified the same way as His Lord, and asked to be crucified upside down – and so, tradition says, he was crucified on an X-shaped cross, hanging upside down.
13. And it would be better for us too if we simply believe that we are the people God has said we are, and that we can do the things He has said we can do. But let’s remember, that even if we fail (even though we don't have to -- even though He does not want us to) – still, if we fail, (and we will) He will not leave us to our own devices. He will come to us and He will save us also, because we are His, and He will never let us utterly fall or fail. He said, "And this is the Father's will who has sent me, that of all which he has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this IS the will of Him that sent me: that everyone who sees the Son, and believes on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (Jhn. 6: 39, 40). WE WILL SEE HEAVEN. WE WILL PERSEVERE TO THE END, BECAUSE HE WILL PRESERVE US.
VI. And our last point: Jesus spoke peace, then the storm ceased (31 & 32 with Mark 6:50, 51)
A. It is only when JESUS speaks peace that any real peace is to be found. Not until He spoke, did the storm cease for the apostles. All through His appearing, and walking toward them, and speaking to them, and Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water, the storm continued to rage, and the waves swelled, and the boat pitched and tossed. After the test was over -- only then did the sea calm down.
1. Aren't we all seeking inner peace? Peace of mind; peace of conscience; peace in our soul? In this world of push and shove, and hurry, hurry; "git'er" done; and fast food, and microwave in a minute, and rush and rush, peace is hard to find - nigh to impossible
2. And what of outer peace? All around us is a world gone mad. Since Adam fell, and Cain killed Abel, the history of mankind has been one of almost constant strife, and war, and bloodshed, and torturing and maiming one another; and cruel, barbarous treatment -- "man's inhumanity to man."
3. The last 91 years has seen (in my opinion) four World Wars:
a. WW I - the first modern war, with machine guns, and airplanes, and tanks, and deadly mustard gas, and slaughter in the millions, estimated at between 10 - 13 million
b. WW II just upped the ante. The mad, demonic dictator, Hitler and his Italian and Japanese cronies tried to take over the world, and in the end there were more than 48 million dead, half of those being non-combatants
c. Then WW III: The Cold War, that lasted almost 40 years; that pitted Atheistic Communism against Democracy. According to statistics released by Russia since the fall of the USSR, they give a low estimate of 69 Million civilian deaths, JUST IN THE USSR, as a result of Stalin's totalitarian dictatorship, and we aren't even counting China's untold millions of dead due to the crazy atheist: Mao, and the dead in other Communist countries
d. Now we are in WW IV: The International War against Islamic Terrorism, which is just in its early stages. Who knows how many untold millions will be killed because of this madness and tyranny that calls good evil, and evil good?
4. Seek peace wherever you may, but you will not find true peace anywhere outside of the Prince of Peace: The Lord Jesus Christ
5. When I was a Hindu, I used to chant: "Om Shanti, Om Shanti," thinking that just by saying these words, I could instill peace in my own mind and soul, and even in the environment around me, but only when Jesus said, "Peace be still" to my soul, did I finally know real, true peace
6. Jesus said, "My peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27)
Close:
The Apostle Paul said that we are to "Be careful for nothing (don’t worry about anything), but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God, and the peace of God, that passes all understanding shall rule your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus: (Php. 4:6, 7). True peace does not mean inactivity: it does not mean apathetic behavior. True followers of Christ are meant to do exploits for their God. King David said, "For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God, I have leaped over a wall" (Psm. 18: 29). That same David said in Psalm 3, "Lord how they have increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. But you Lord are a shield for me…I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me…I laid me down to sleep, and I awaked for the Lord sustained me." That is peace. Peace in the midst of our enemies. Peace in the midst of turmoil. Like Paul and Silas had in the prison. Like the three Hebrew children had in the midst of the fiery furnace; like Stephen had before the Sanhedrin, when they were stoning him to death; like Paul had in the prison, when he was going to have his head chopped off the next day!
At Last: Then the Storm Ceased. When the trial is over -- and each trial will have an end -- at the end of that trial we can look forward to real peace: the peace of God. The Master is in control of every storm in our life. He will calm the troubled waters of our soul. He said: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14: 27). Just as He calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He will also cause the storms of our life to cease as He says, “Peace, be still.” Let's spend time with Jesus. But let's not spend just one night -- let us spend every night, and every day with Him who is our all-in-all –until we go to spend an eternity with Him, forever resting in His bless-ed, holy presence. Remember, all the storms of our life are only those He allows by permitting them or decreeing them, and they are only for the purpose of making us better disciples of His down here on earth, and to prepare us to be better citizens when we reach our final destination: our heavenly home: heaven. In Jesus Name, Amen.
