Theme: The Church in A Troubled World
Text: John 6: 16-21
Intro.
A. For our message this morning, let’s open our Bible in John 6: 16-21. This passage tells us of the disciples’ experience when they rowed the Sea of Galilee without the physical presence of Christ. This incident depicts the condition of the world, the struggle of the church and the comfort Jesus gives to the Church.
B. Considering the current conditions of our world:
a. Is there any hope that it can recover and soon gets better?
b. What challenges will the church be facing?
c. What comfort and hope Christians can hold on to survive?
C. I don’t know if you have asked these questions yourself. The reality is undeniable: Life is never easy now; and it’s not getting to be easier, much more being a Christian.
D. Background:
· After the feeding of the five thousands, Christ dismissed the crowd, have His disciples got up to the boat and He went to a mountain to pray.
· The disciples made their voyage in the lake of Galilee toward Capernaum without the Lord.
· When they were already in the midst of the sea, darkness came; the sea arose because the great wind was blowing.
· In this passage we can see the troubled Sea of Galilee, the struggling disciples in a boat, and Christ praying in the mountain then walking on the water.
T.S.2 –This passage gives us three very important pictures being depicted:
I. THE TROUBLED WORLD.
The world is in trouble. In the Scripture, it’s likened to a troubled sea.
A. First, there is darkness all over, the darkness of sin. God made the world a very beautiful habitat for man. But sin marred and destroyed its beauty. Now it is full of corruptions, immorality, chaos, greediness, sorrows and all kinds of evil. Man figuratively and literally eating human beings. In Japan, I read it in the e-mail, dead babies and fetuses were sold 10,000 to 12,000 Yen. "Grilled and barbecued babies are the hottest food now in Japan!", the e-mail claimed.
B. Second, there is the great wind of evil forces. Satan and his cohorts have only one objective in mind: the destruction of the world, the Church, and all human beings. They stirred up more troubles. They use every tool of corruptions; instigate uprising and rebellion to destroy as more lives as they can.
C. Christians, we have a world full of evils; we have an evil world beyond recovery! Any hope given and promised by the government, politicians, education and science is sheer flattery. Don’t be deceived to think that our world is getting better. No hope remains for this world of ours, except that it is prepared for the judgment day. It will be destroyed by fire! But praise God: He has prepared a better place for us, a better world, a better home for eternity.
D. Being a Christian, you should not be surprised about the evils around you: the murders, the wickedness of every form, and the pseudo-godliness of religious hypocrites! Only be sure and see to it, that you yourself are standing on God’s side!
II. THE STRUGGLING CHURCH.
· The disciples on-board were in the midst of the sea. The sea arose and the wind blew against them. They faced a dilemma: struggle to keep on floating or give up hope and sink down. They chose the former.
· The church is also in the midst of a troubled world. What shall we do to keep ourselves from drowning? Like the apostles possibly did:
A. Pitch the waters out! Every time the waves strike the boat, a little water got into it. Just a little, but it soon fills the boat to drown it. If they can speak they would say, “oh don’t mind us, we’re doing you no harm. We’re so little to harm you anyway.” But it will. Many Christians and churches as well were drowning into sin and worldliness because they allow what they call a little, harmless compromise to creep in to themselves.
B. Everyone to the work! Everyone’s hand is busy. No one says, “I don’t care if the boat would sink!” (Anyway this boat’s not mine.)
· Everybody must take part! Everybody has a role to do. It doesn’t matter whether your part is less prominent. It doesn’t matter whether you don’t have all the capacity to do it. Every labor, every task, everything you do for His glory is significant in eternity. We shall all be rewarded not because we are efficient or because we are performing prominent roles, but it is when we do our task in the Lord’s vineyard faithfully. (Illus: crowning)
· Survival is everybody’s business. Your survival; your brother’s survival. Remember, you are responsible of yourself and, at the same time, accountable of your brothers and sisters in the Lord. At this very crucial hour, the disciples had no time for criticism, complacency, procrastination and comparison. Everybody’s hands were on the work! Be a blessing.
C. To the shore we go!
· A friend of mine shared his shipwreck experience. Everyone’s mind is on the shore; everyone’s eye keeps looking ahead expectantly to see the shoreline.
· The disciples never gave up. They never said: “Oh we struggled long enough. Enough with these sacrifices. Ok, let’s all be drown to death!” They continue straining, looking ahead, hoping to reach ashore.
· Yes, to that heavenly shore we go. Beautiful than Boracay Beach! All pains, all hardships and sacrifices will be remembered no more when we shall reach there.
III. THE COMFORTING CHRIST.
· The greatest comfort and the better assurance for the Church to hold on to is that her Lord does not leave her nor forsake her. Jesus never fails to uphold His bride, the Church.
· Look at what the Lord did: He prayed, watched, and came to His disciples.
· He also does this to the church:
A. He is interceding for the Church. He is now at the right hand of God, interceding for us.
· The ministry of intercession is not easy. It is physically and emotionally draining. You have to spend hours of prayer, giving all your emotions onto the burdens you laid to the Lord in prayer. And the most difficult aspect of this ministry will be having the willingness, like Moses, to perish, on behalf of them whom you have been interceding for. No wonder, intercessors are rare; they are seldom in the contemporary church.
· Jesus is our great intercessor. He gave Himself for the Church; and now, He’s in the right hand of the Father and keeps telling and proclaiming, “They are mine!”
· We would never be drowned nor perished for God said: “Fear not for I’m with you. Child, you are mine.”
B. He is watching the Church.
· Not “at a distance” but He’s closely watching by. Note: During that time Christ had allowed Himself to be subject to human limitations. But now He’s not. Being God, He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.
· In its biblical usage, the word “watch” implies “guarding, protecting, and safe keeping.”
· Did you get the truth? The Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Christ is guarding, protecting, and keeping us safe!
· Paul said in his letter to the Colossian Church, “our life is hidden with Christ in God.” The Church is inside two powerful boxes: God and Christ. Who then shall be able to harm us? Satan? He should have to break God and Christ to be able to reach us, which is impossible!
C. He is coming.
· The greatest comfort of the church is the truth that the Lord is coming. I know the church wants to survive because Christ is coming; I know you want to survive because you want to see Him.
· Yes, He is coming without delay; He’s coming right at the peak of our struggle as a church; He comes and His presence will be a joy to us without measure; He’s coming to bring us to the Heavenly Capernaum.
· But, He came with everyone’s hands straining. Why didn’t He come to them when the sea was calm and everyone’s enjoying serenity? Because He delights activity. Christ wants to see our hands working; idle hands have no part of His kingdom. In serenity our hands could not find work to do, circumstances will. The troubling of the sea gave them the opportunity to prove themselves. Likewise, amidst the challenges and circumstances that we are in, let’s prove ourselves; let’s prove that we are faithful disciples of Jesus. His coming is at hand! Oh what a joy; what a thrill to see Him and be with Him forever. In that glorious day He would welcome us saying, “Thou good and faithful servant.”
