The Test Of Faith Series

COMMENT:

God wants us to PARTNERSHIP with Him in MINISTRY—to SERVE Jesus by SERVING others. That is the very REASON that Jesus left His church on this earth—too REACH OUT to

the LOST and to SERVE one another.

Now, if you’re not SERVING Jesus Christ yet… understand that you will never MATURE in your FAITH until you find ways of MINISTERING for Him INSIDE or OUTSIDE this church building.

If your FAITH is DOING NOTHING, then it is not FAITH!

II. WALKING ON WATER- Mark 6:45-52 (READ)

A. After feeding the MULTITUDE and sending them HOME, Jesus tells His disciples to get back into the

BOAT and SAIL to other side of the SEA while He goes up the mountain to PRAY.

1. As He LEAVES, Jesus tells them that He will CATCH UP with them later.

a. Now, if was me I would be thinking, “How is Jesus going to meet us on the other side? We’ve

got the BOAT!”

b. Without question, however, they get into the BOAT and head across the Sea of Galilee.

COMMENT:

As they started across the WIND and ROUGH WATERS began to pick up, making it difficult for them to ROW. When they got out into the MIDDLE of the LAKE—“about 3 to 3½ miles from shore” (John 6:19), Jesus started to come toward them WALKING on the WATER.

2. Look again at the middle part of v. 48- “About the fourth watch of the night (3-6 in the morning)

Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to PASS by them…”

a. Why would Jesus WALK on WATER in such a way as to give the DISCIPLES the impression

that He was simply going to WALK right PAST them?

COMMENT:

In my mind’s eye, I can see Jesus WALKING along on the WATER like it was casual STROLL in the PARK. It would seem EFFORTLESS to Him. But why would He WALK out to

the BOAT where His disciples are and then WALK PAST them?

b. I think Jesus had a specific OBJECTIVE in mind for these men.

COMMENT:

He wanted them to fully RECOGNIZE who He was—the Christ, the Son of God who has POWER over NATURE and DESERVES all GLORY and PRAISE.

3. But instead of Jesus being GLORIFIED—the disciples are TERRIFIED.

a. They think He is a GHOST.

COMMENT:

Now, I realize that the disciples are EXHAUSTED. They’ve been UP for HOURS without any CHANCE of getting REST. Their muscles are SORE. It’s DARK. And, to be fair, Jesus

didn’t tell them “I’ll meet you out in the middle of the lake. Look for the guy walking on water.”

Even so, it was more NATURAL for them to BELIEVE that this was a GHOST than to actually BELIEVE that it could and would be their Lord, the Son of God, WALKING on WATER

toward them.

Now, I realize that they had never seen Jesus WALKING on WATER before, but how many GHOSTS have they seen out on the WATER? Thus far, they have seen Jesus do a lot of THINGS that they never thought POSSIBLE before. Is WALKING on WATER that much of a stretch?

b. After crying out in FEAR, Jesus tells them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”- v. 50

B. Now, you probably noticed when I read this passage that Mark does not say anything about Peter

getting out of the BOAT and WALKING on water toward Jesus.

1. Only Matthew includes that part of the story. And we’ve heard many lessons on how important it