John 6:16-21 Get out of the Waters
1. Jesus comforts his disciples on the Sea of Galilee by saying, “It is I; do not be afraid.” But is that what he really said?
• The Sea is Deep, Dark, and deadly
• That’s what many people think of the ocean,
• There are many Scary Movies such as The Meg, Leviathan, Underwater, Deep Blue Sea, Ghost Ship, Open Water, The Deep, Jaws.
• “You’ll never go in the water again.”
• Humans have been terrified of the big blue sea for thousands of years. “Myths about deep-sea monsters can be found in ancient cultures from all across the globe,”
2. Like the movie Jaws the screams “get out of the water” Scriptures teach us the fear of the sea and God even says Get out of the water
• God told Noah Get out of the water he said, “Make yourself an ark of cypress wood,” (Genesis 6:14). Then God sent a great flood on the earth, with the goal of killing every living thing. God said it: Get out of the water!
• God told Pharaoh Let my people go He was saying don’t get in the water. In Exodus, the Israelites fled the Egyptians to the edge of the Red Sea. There, God parted the sea, and the “Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left” (14:22). Then, the opening closed, and the Egyptians were drowned.
• God helps his people get out of the waters. God said through the prophet Isaiah, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (43:2).
• God helped Jonah get out of the waters of chaos. And the prophet Jonah faced death when he was tossed off a ship into the sea. In the belly of a large fish, he prayed to God, “I called to the LORD out of my distress, and he answered me … The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me … Deliverance belongs to the LORD!” (Jonah 2:2, 5, 9).
3. The disciples get in the waters on a boat after the feeding of the 5,000.
• The disciples go down to the Sea of Galilee, get into a boat, and start rowing across the sea to Capernaum.
• They probably thought Jesus wants some time to himself, they head across the water without him.
• Suddenly, The sky becomes dark, a strong wind begins to blow, and the sea becomes rough, making their progress difficult.
• they see Jesus walking on the sea and coming near.
• The whole situation terrifies them: Not only the wind and the waves, but the sight of Jesus walking on the water. Then, he says to them, “It is I; do not be afraid” (v. 20).
4. When were in the waters of chaos Jesus wants to help us get out of the waters
• Life sometimes can and will terrify us
• Jesus says, “It is I; do not be afraid.” In our most terrifying times, when the sky is dark and the sea is deep, we do not have to fall victim to terror
• Jesus is with us, offering us peace in the middle of the watery chaos.
• Jesus does not simply love us and provide for us. Jesus gives us peace.
• Jesus provides. And when you are feeling frightened by the storms in your own life — financial, medical, relational — and terrified of drowning in raging waters, do not be afraid. Jesus offers you peace. “Peace I leave with you,” says Jesus a little later in the gospel of John; “my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
• Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (14:27).
5. Jesus said, I Am, Do Not Be Afraid
• The words that Jesus speaks to the disciples in the boat are both surprising and significant. In the original Greek, he says something that you might not expect. He does not actually say, “It is I.” Instead, he says, “I am.” Yes, he uses one of the most ancient names for God, the great “I AM”
• When we translate the story, we usually have Jesus say, “It is I.” It does not make sense to our English-language ears for him to say, “I am; do not be afraid.” But the truth is, Jesus says, “I am.” This means that Jesus is not acting on his own when he offers us provision and peace. No, he is acting with the power of God, the great “I AM.”
• Remember God with Moses at the burning bush? “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you.”’” (Exodus 3:14).
6. Finally, God is revealed in Jesus, the One who says, “I am; do not be afraid (John 6:20). Jesus the I am or God cry’s out in our distresses “Get Out of the Waters”
• When the waters of hunger overflow Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (6:35); He cries get out of the waters of hunger
• When the Dark seas give no light Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” (8:12); Get out of the waters that are dark come to the light
• When the sea has closed the doors of opportunity Jesus says, “I am the gate” (10:9); Get out of the waters of closed doors I am the gate of opportunities
• When the waters make me lose my way Jesus says “I am the good shepherd” Get out of the waters of being lost the good shepherd searches for that one lost lamb. (10:11);
• When the waters drowned me Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life” get out of the waters and grab hold of resurrection and life in Christ (11:25);
• When the waters of disorder have surrounded you Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6) get out of the waters and follow the way the truth and the life. I put things inorder
• When the waters of broken branches are like sea weeds Jesus says, “I am the true vine” (15:1). Get out of the waters of sea weeds and get connected to the True Vine
