Take Courage

Title: Take Courage!

Text: Mark 6:45-52 Using Dan 3 and the 3 Hebrew Children

Pray!!!

• Introduction:

- What is Faith?

- Faith is the radar that guides the ship into port when the person can’t see.

- Faith is described this way by one person:

Trusting commitment of one person to another, particularly of a person to God. Faith is the central concept of Christianity. One may be called a Christian only if one has faith.

- The Bible says, Have faith in God, but many people today don’t understand what it means to have faith and how to grow in faith, I want to teach you from God’s Word this morning.

- I love this story that explains how to grow in faith:

“I prayed for faith and thought that some day it would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith didn’t seem to come. One day I read in Romans that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” I had up to this time, closed my Bible and prayed for faith. Now I opened my Bible and began to study and faith has been growing ever since.”

• Transition:

- In our text this morning Jesus shows us the lack of faith the disciples had in Him.

- And it’s this lack of Faith that Jesus says these words, Take Courage it is I, don’t be afraid.

- This shows me one thing about faith, when there is no faith there is fear.

- Also it proves the story true, when the Word is spoken or read, our faith then begins to grow.

- When Jesus spoke and said take courage, the disciples and storm became calm.

- All of us in this room have a measure of Faith, but are we growing in that measure of faith.

- The purpose of this message is to help us grow in our faith and understand who God is.

- So let’s look at our text and read with me please!

(Read Text)

• Point 1: Jesus Tests Our Faith (Vs 45-46)

- Jesus allows circumstances in our lives to test us to see what we are made out of.

- God tested the Israelites when they left Egypt.

- Egypt was a type of sin and bondage where the word proclaims that God is our deliverer.

- Then God brought them to the Red Sea and split it open, symbolic of water baptism.

- Only to go right into the wilderness, or testing time.

- It was an 11 day journey to there destination, but it took them over 40 years, why, they did not believe or have faith in God.

- I am saying to you this morning, that trails come, but when we have the faith of God, we will walk out of our wilderness experience faster then we could do it ourselves.

- If we truly want God to lead us then we must go through the wilderness.

- God test the 3 Hebrew Children (Explain the story)

- God also tested the disciples by forcing them into the boat.

- It might have been because the mob of people wanted to make Jesus King by force and didn’t want His disciples to be exposed to that.

- Or it could have been, that Jesus knowing about the coming storm, sent His disciples on ahead to test that in there faith.

- And there is many things that test our faith, the pressures of life will determine whether we bow to idols or worship God.

- Our view on abortion will determine whether we bow to idol worship or chose life.

- Our view on homosexuality will determine whether we bow to idol worship or chose God.

- Our view of Israel will determine whether we bow to idol worship or chose to bless the nation of Israel.

- The chose is ours to make, but one thing is for certain, God will allow your faith to be tested so that it will grow more.

• Point 2: Jesus Is Always Near Us (Vs 47-48)

- God doesn’t send someone, He shows up Himself.

- When the Hebrew children went into the firey furnace, God showed up and delivered them.

- When you are going through your storm, our response needs to be the same as that of the 3 Hebrew children, (Read Dan 3:16-18)

I am reminded of the story of a Preacher who asked a boy about the presence of God. The Preacher said to him, "Son, I will give you an apple if you can tell me where God is". The boy looked at the Preacher, then he looked at the apple, he said, "Preacher, I will give you a barrel of apples if you can tell me where he isn’t."