[0:00] Mark 6, beginning in verse 45. He went out to them, walking on the lake.
[0:32] He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, Take courage, it is I.
[0:46] Don't be afraid. Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves. Their hearts were hardened.
[0:58] When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
[1:12] And wherever he went, into villages, towns, or countryside, they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
[1:27] As we come to the end of Mark chapter 6, we're seeing a certain repetition, aren't we, in these events in the lives of the disciples and their Lord.
[1:40] We've been on stormy seas with them before, haven't we? And yet here they are again in fearful troubles. Situations out of their control.
[1:50] They're in over their heads, beyond their resources to deal with. Unpleasant circumstances that expose just how poor and needy they are.
[2:04] Well, what we're learning by this is that discipleship to Jesus Christ involves just that, the testing of our faith. Bringing us to an end of ourselves and then experiencing the help and the deliverance of our mighty Savior, Jesus Christ.
[2:22] That's life in the school of Christ. Revealing the weakness of our faith, the emptiness of our resources, and then revealing to us the glory of our Savior.
[2:38] Now, there's no graduating from this school until heaven. So, how are you doing in the school of Christ? We see these 12 disciples barely out of one trial.
[2:53] A huge crowd to feed and only a little boy's lunch. And now they're thrown back into another one as we find them on the stormy sea again.
[3:04] And it's, again, revealing to them and to us the saving power of Jesus in a way that proves His deity, that He is God, and that reveals that His deity is exercised on our behalf, for our good, and also for His glory.
[3:24] So, fixing our eyes on Jesus this morning, we're going to see Him, first of all, alone with His Father. Secondly, His concern for His disciples. And lastly, His compassion for the crowds, if we have time.
[3:37] So, first of all, alone with His Father. Verses 45 to 47. So, Jesus and the 12 have just fed this multitude, 5,000 men plus children and women with five loaves and two fish.
[3:56] And after everyone had eaten and was satisfied, stuffed, and 12 basketfuls of leftovers had been gathered up, verse 45 says, Immediately, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.
[4:15] And after leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He was alone on land. Now, it took some doing to make both His disciples get in the boat and leave, and also to dismiss the crowd that day.
[4:34] It says Jesus made His disciples get into the boat. Literally, He constrained them. He compelled them. It's a strong word.
[4:44] Sometimes it's compelling by force. Other times by persuasion. And we get a clear indication that they didn't want to go without Jesus, or to leave Him alone with the crowd.
[4:58] But He insisted. He made them get in the boat and go. And the crowd was no more eager to leave either after having been fed a free supper.
[5:09] John tells us in his account, chapter 6, 14, and 15, after the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, the feeding, they began to say, Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.
[5:24] And Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountainside by Himself. So this unruly crowd was now ready to revolt against Rome, ready to proclaim Jesus of Nazareth as their king and not Caesar.
[5:45] And Jesus would have none of it. It was a total misunderstanding of His work as the Messiah came. They wanted Him for free food, healing, and to set them free from Rome.
[5:59] He came to save people from their sins by way of a shameful cross. They were totally oblivious to His purpose in coming. And so He withdrew Himself away to a mountain by Himself.
[6:17] Now, He wouldn't send the crowd away first when they first came until He taught them and fed them. But now that they have been taught and fed, He does send them away and goes into the mountain.
[6:30] Mark tells us it was in order to pray. He went up on the mountainside to pray. And so the disciples are out in the middle of the lake in the boat.
[6:41] He's alone on land. Alone but not alone. And this is why He wanted the disciples to go on ahead of Him in the boat. It's why He dismissed the crowd.
[6:54] He wanted precious time alone with His heavenly Father in prayer. Do you have times like that? You get away from everyone and you're alone with God.
[7:08] It was a habit with our Lord. But there were peculiar circumstances that made Him feel His need of it right now for getting with His Father for a talk.
[7:20] First of all, it was just a couple days earlier that the disciples of John the Baptist, who buried Him after His beheading, went and told Jesus.
[7:30] But since hearing of the beheading of His cousin John, our Lord had had no time for rest due to the interruption of that pressing crowd that He taught and then fed.
[7:44] And so now He gets alone with His heavenly Father in prayer and pours out His grieving heart to Him. And then there was the disappointing ignorance of the crowd, clamoring for food and healing and revolt, totally missing the point of His coming.
[8:00] Even the twelve didn't get it. And we'll see that as we proceed through Mark. But shared much of the same erroneous messianic expectations as the crowd.
[8:10] Jesus' life was more lonely as to the human desire as a human being for social interaction with people that understand Him.
[8:23] He was more lonely than we may realize. Nobody understood Jesus. His identity. Who He is. His mission. Why He came to earth. Not the crowd.
[8:34] Not even the twelve. Not even His own family. His brothers did not believe and tried to shut Him down, remember. No one but His heavenly Father. And so to Him He goes as His refuge and pours out His soul.
[8:49] A year later on the night of His arrest, Jesus will tell these very disciples in John 16, 32, A time is coming and has come when you will be scattered, each to his own home.
[9:02] You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. Alone. Alone. Alone.
[9:12] Alone. But not alone. Where do you go when lonely? Where do you go when misunderstood by people around you?
[9:23] Perhaps even those closest to you. Jesus went to His Father. And tells us in Psalm 30, 62, 8, Trust in Him at all times, you people.
[9:36] Pour out your hearts before Him. For God is our refuge. Mary Winslow, the mother of Octavius Winslow, said, Tell Him everything as if He knew nothing, though He knows all.
[9:50] Tell Him everything as though He knew nothing. Don't spare anything. Get it all out before your Father. She goes on to say, Things I would not say to my dearest friend on earth, I can go and tell Jesus.
[10:04] And there unbosom myself to Him whose compassions fail not, and who remembers I am but dust, yet pities and loves me more than I love myself.
[10:15] Oh, there's an ear to go talk to. There's a heart, a bosom to lean on. So Jesus goes and unburdens His heart to God.
[10:28] May we know more of this. This sweet fellowship with our Father in Heaven. And that's what keeps Him from being so turned in upon Himself with these problems, with His grief, and with His being misunderstood.
[10:44] What keeps Him from just being obsessed with Himself and His problems? It's His Father. His Father knows.
[10:55] His Father understands. So that's Jesus alone with His Father. Second point is His concern for His disciples.
[11:08] Verses 48 to 55. 55 at sunset, as evening came, sunset, Jesus is alone on land, and the twelve are out in the middle of the lake. Now, John tells us they were three to three and a half miles out.
[11:22] So, kids, if the middle of the lake is three and a half miles out, how much more distance do they have to go? Three to three and a half miles or so, right?
[11:35] Around three miles anyway. So, there they are out in the middle of the lake. And we've seen that, we've talked about the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Galilee sat low.
[11:47] And all around, or at least part of it, there are mountains and hills that surround it so that it's like a bull. And Jesus is up on the mountain. And from where He is, He can look out over the sea, and He sees them there, straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.
[12:07] John tells us it was a strong wind that whipped up the waters. Matthew says their boat was buffeted by the waves. It was against them.
[12:19] The wind was against them. The waves were against them. They wanted to go that way, but the wind and the waves were pushing them that way. So, they're straining at the oars.
[12:32] Every pull of the oars, lunging them forward, was immediately met with a pounding wave that pushed them right backward. Ever been on a rowing machine in a gym?
[12:45] You're rowing like mad, but you're not going anywhere, are you? That's the way it was on the Lake of Galilee that day. Rowing, straining at the oars, but buffeted by the waves.
[13:04] There's an old Irish blessing that has the line, may the wind be always at your back. Pleasant thought, isn't it? It's not the blessing that God always gives in this life, is it?
[13:19] Sometimes He blesses us with a strong wind in our face, blowing in our teeth. The wind's against you. That leaves you straining at the oars, with back-breaking rowing, making little progress as it seems.
[13:39] You got any of that in your life at present? Anything against you? Battered by the waves of affliction? Maybe you're trying to raise your child in God's way, and you're seeing little results.
[13:52] You discipline him, and he just keeps rebelling. You're straining at the oars. Maybe it's a besetting sin of your own that refuses to give up. Maybe it's witnessing to others, or some other ministry, and you're not seeing any fruit, any results from it.
[14:11] Maybe you're praying for guidance, and no light is being given. Praying for our nation, for revival, for evil, that's coming in like a flood to be pushed back. Praying that you'll take a stand at work, with all the wind in your face, and the world against you.
[14:28] Maybe praying about health problems, other things. And they still go unanswered. You've been straining at the oars, because the wind is against you.
[14:42] And you're growing weary. What should you do? Keep rowing. Keep rowing. Keep straining.
[14:54] Keep disciplining. Instructing your child. Keep praying. Keep witnessing. Keep fighting against sin. Just because you're straining at the oars with the wind against you, doesn't mean God is against you.
[15:08] These disciples were not out of the will of God, and therefore being hit with the wind in their face. They were doing exactly what Jesus made them do. Get in the boat, and go to Bethsaida ahead of me.
[15:22] And directly in the way of his command, they meet with this strong wind that was against them. Dear Christian, the wind may be against you, and God is for you. Don't give up.
[15:33] Keep doing the will of God. Poor disciples. They'd come away for a rest time, and that was interrupted, as we saw last week, by the crowd that just pressed in upon them.
[15:49] And now here they are straining with the oars, with the wind against them, perhaps wondering, where is Jesus? I knew we shouldn't have left without him.
[16:03] Isn't it a question we ask when straining in our trials, that don't want to budge before us? Where's Jesus when I need him? He seems far away. He seems uninvolved, maybe even disinterested, since my prayers aren't being answered the way I'm wanting them to.
[16:20] He's got bigger things to do, evidently. Well, where was Jesus? Well, he was on the mountainside, wasn't he?
[16:32] Seeing his disciples straining at the oars, and no doubt taking his disciples to his Father in heaven in prayer. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against him.
[16:53] Dear believer, he sees everything that is against you. He sees the world, the flesh, and the devil against you. He sees you straining to please him, straining to obey his commands, straining to stand up for him, straining to glorify him.
[17:09] Psalm 33, 18, we'll read it next week. The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. Psalm 34, 15, the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.
[17:26] The child of God, his eyes are on you like a mother's eyes are on their children. Whatever she's doing around the house, she's always got an eye on her children, because she loves them.
[17:39] They're precious to her. That's the way the Lord sees you. With the heart of a mother, caring for his children.
[17:52] Never out of her sight, because dear to her heart, you are the apple of his eye. He can't keep his eyes off of you. You're his treasured possession.
[18:03] You're part of his beloved bride, and he never slumbers or sleeps in his watch care over you. He sees you straining at the oars.
[18:14] He sees your body growing weary. He sees your heart growing faint. He sees every wince of pain, every tear that falls.
[18:25] He sees your troubled mind, your confusion, your doubts, your longings. He sees it all. Nothing misses his gaze. This is a wonderful picture to get hold of, to blazon on your mind's eye.
[18:41] The disciples down on the sea, the troubled sea, buffeted by the waves, the wind in their face, straining at the oars.
[18:51] Jesus on the mountainside, looking down and seeing all of it, and praying to his Father for them. You see, it's a picture that paints for us the unseen reality, the unseen spiritual reality.
[19:10] He's now on high, on Mount Zion. He's risen from the dead and ascended to his Father's throne, and there he is in that high and holy place from which he looks down and sees all who live on earth and especially has his eye on the righteous.
[19:36] And that's why we're able to make it to the other side of the lake. That's why we're able to come into the harbor at last because he's not only watching, he's interceding from his throne.
[19:50] Hebrews 7.25, therefore he is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God through him because he always is making intercession for us.
[20:03] You may think, I'm not going anywhere, I'm not getting anywhere. He will get you there. His prayers, he sees, he's praying. There's never a time Jesus is not praying for you.
[20:15] Oh, that we could, by faith, enter into the glorious reality of that. In our most fearful times, darkest times, to know he sees, he's interceding for me.
[20:30] My brothers and sisters might not be praying right now for me, but my Savior is. He always lives to make intercession for us.
[20:40] Well, that's real concern for his disciples, wouldn't you say? Though they may think he's unconcerned.
[20:51] Well, then, there's more to his concern. Verse 48b says, about the fourth watch of the night, he went out to them walking on the lake. He not only saw them, he goes to them.
[21:03] He comes to them, walking right into their storm. Notice, first of all, the timing of this visitation. It says it was about the fourth watch of the night.
[21:15] There were four watches in the night, and the fourth watch was the last watch, from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. And if he saw them at sunset, say around 6 or 7, but went out to them at 3 in the morning at the earliest, that means he left them waiting for 3 or 4 hours, or 8 or 9 hours before going to them.
[21:40] He left them straining at the oars with the wind in their teeth for many hours. No wonder they might have felt forsaken and forgotten by Jesus, though they weren't.
[21:57] And even so many times he makes us wait while we're struggling at the oars. He's building disciples. Disciples who need to endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
[22:11] He's building faith by testing it, calling it in to exercise. He's building perseverance to not quit, that we might make it to the end.
[22:23] He's building hope, character, hope, and waiting is an important part of his curriculum. But brothers and sisters, he's worth waiting for, too, isn't he?
[22:35] As we see here. He's often doing as much good work in us by the weight as he is by his coming to us. He's making us more hungry for his coming while we wait.
[22:48] He's making us walk by faith, not by sight. To walk, to live upon his promises, not upon our feelings. He's making us sweetly submissive to his providence.
[23:00] Not my will, Lord, but yours be done. All while we wait, you see. The benefits and blessings of waiting are ours. And then his timing is always perfect.
[23:11] Out of all the possible times for him to show up with his deliverance, it's always the best time. Even if Lazarus has been in the grave four days, he's right on time.
[23:21] Four days late and right on time. And so in your test and in your trials, humble yourself under God's mighty hand in your trial.
[23:32] Put yourself under. You're sweetly submit. And he will lift you up in due time. Due time. His time. It's always the best time. That's the timing of his visitation.
[23:46] He waits before he comes on the waves. Second, the manner of his visitation. He went out to them walking on the lake. Boys and girls, have you ever walked on water?
[23:58] Neither have I. But Jesus did. Jesus did. And in so doing, he was showing them once more that he is God. He does what only God can do.
[24:11] John 1.14, John says, the word, the eternal word that was face to face with the Father, he became flesh and we beheld his glory. What glory?
[24:22] The glory of the only begotten of the Father. Full of grace and truth. How did they see his glory? Well, they saw it on the Mount of Transfiguration, yes, but they also saw it every time he did one of these miraculous signs.
[24:41] John tells us in chapter 2 and verse 11, after turning the water to wine, John says, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee.
[24:55] He thus revealed his glory and his disciples put their trust in him. How did he reveal his glory? By doing what only the creator could do. The one who makes grapes, the one who makes water and is able to turn water into wine.
[25:11] He's revealing his deity, his glory. And that's just what disciples need in our stormy trials of life. We need to see the glory of God.
[25:23] We need to see him in his greatness, in his majesty, in the splendor of his holiness, his otherness, that we might trust in him. So how shall Jesus show his divine glory in this situation on the stormy sea?
[25:41] Well, he'd already turned water to wine. He'd already multiplied bread to feed a multitude. He's already commanded diseases and demons to flee. He's commanded the wind and the waves to be quiet.
[25:54] But this time, he displays his glory by walking on the waves. So that's the manner of his visitation. Notice thirdly, the immediate effect of his visitation.
[26:06] Verses 48 and following, He went out to them walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw him and were terrified.
[26:21] Not such a helpful visitation to start with. They're scared to death. If being in a howling wind and buffeted in the dark by the waves is scary, how much more so to be in the wind and waves at night and to see a ghost, kids?
[26:45] Let's see how many of you have been in a rowboat. When you row a rowboat, which way are you facing? Forwards or backwards? Backwards.
[27:00] There's some fishermen. You sit in the boat and you pull and you go that way, you see. As you row, you're going that way. So they've come from where they were at the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus is sitting on the mountainside, sees them, and now he's walking on the water to them.
[27:18] And as they're rowing, no wonder they all saw him. He was coming toward them. Somebody must have saw him first. Look! There! Someone's coming! And he kept advancing to them as they weren't going anywhere.
[27:33] They were barely holding their own. And here he comes. And they know that no human being can walk on water. And that left in their mind only one thing.
[27:44] It's a ghost. Now there was a superstitious thought of the day that the sea was the place where the evil spirits lived.
[27:57] And at night they came out and brought all sorts of disaster. Whether it was because of that we don't know but at any rate they all screamed in terror.
[28:10] And that's all it took for Jesus to spring into action for their deliverance. A cry of terror touched the hearts of the Lord of glory. Immediately the text says immediately upon their scream he spoke to them and said take courage it is I don't be afraid.
[28:32] notice fourthly then the calming effect of his visitation once they knew it was him. What a peace in the midst of a dark and stormy night to hear him say it is I it is I.
[28:49] Literally what he said is I am. That's all he said. Ego e me I am. That's what God said to Moses in the burning bush.
[29:00] Remember that kids? The bush that was on fire and yet it didn't burn up? Moses says what is this? And he comes near and God says take off your shoes you're on holy ground. And God spoke to Moses out of the bush and said I've seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I'm sending you to lead them out.
[29:19] And Moses says and if your people ask me who is it that sent you? What is his name? What should I tell them? And from the bush the Lord said if they ask the name of the God who sent me say to them I am who I am.
[29:40] This is what you're to say to the Israelites I am has sent me to you. And that's who speaks from the darkness on the sea that night to his disciples.
[29:57] Take courage I am. Don't be afraid. That's who Jesus is.
[30:10] He's the great I am. He's Yahweh. He's Jehovah. And he's there on the sea with his disciples. Let's consider that mysterious statement of verse 48 that Jesus went out to them walking on the lake.
[30:24] He was about to pass by them. Not at all meaning that he's going to slip by them without them seeing him. That wasn't his purpose. He wasn't trying to get to Bethsaida without them seeing him.
[30:35] He was going out to minister to them. To reveal his glory to them. And so yes he's going to pass by but it's like I'm going to parade my glory before them as he walks by them.
[30:48] It's a repeat of Exodus 33 when Moses prayed to the Lord show me your glory. Exodus 33 19 and the Lord said I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name the Lord I am.
[31:10] And when my glory passes by I'll put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. And that's exactly what happened the next day.
[31:22] The Lord descended in a cloud and passed by before him proclaiming the divine name the Lord I am. He's showing his glory to Moses in answer to his prayer by passing by and giving him to see something of his glory and here on the sea of Galilee Jehovah Jesus the same I am is passing by the twelve manifesting his divine glory by declaring his divine name I am.
[32:00] Here Jesus demonstrates his divine glory to his needy disciples then in three ways first by walking on the water as the master of creation doing what only God can do secondly by saying I am I am I am I am I am the self existent dependent upon no one and nothing for my life I am the eternal faithful God I am and he revealed his glory then thirdly by making the wind to suddenly die down verse 51 then he climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down before he spoke just two words quiet peace and the wind and waves died down this time he just steps in the boat and his presence quiets the wind and waves so God was Christ was revealing his glory to his disciples that they might put their trust in him look fifthly at the final effects of his visitation the final effect of his visitation verse 51 so they step he steps in the boat and the wind stops and then it says they were completely amazed the word means they were amazed out of their minds more amazed than they should have been as
[33:22] Mark goes on to say in verse 52 for they had not understood about the loaves their hearts were hardened you see they shouldn't have been so amazed now granted they saw a man walking on the water that's amazing but they shouldn't have been so amazed astounded out of their minds why should it seem incredible to see Jesus walk on water when they had just seen him take a boy's lunch and feed 5,000 men and gather up 12 basketfuls why should walking on water seem amazing he's the creator he opened up the water so his people could walk through in Exodus now he's walking on the water he's the same Jehovah I am they should have learned that from the feeding of the 5,000 but their hearts were hardened and failed to learn the lesson you see they had seen the boys lunch they had seen the crowd the multitude eating and everyone stuffed and 12 baskets they had experienced the miracle the sign but they failed to learn the lesson of what the sign was pointing to that he is
[34:43] God God with us kids you've seen puzzles to solve by connecting the dots to start with all there is on the page is just these dots and numbers beside them but as you connect the dots oh it's a star or a tree or a horse or something else by connecting the dots you see what it is oh we've been studying all these dots all these miracles of Jesus and when you connect the dots what do you see kids you see that Jesus is God doing what only God can do and oh kids if if Jesus is God that means that God has come to earth it must be something very important mustn't it that God would come to earth oh it is he's come to save sinful boys and girls moms and dads who could not save themselves who were so lost that only
[35:54] God could save them you see it was a God sized problem and so God must come and become one of us and that he might stand in for us and obey the law for us so that we could have a righteousness to get into heaven and then we had we had earned the curse and the condemnation forever and he went to the cross and took it for us so that whoever believes on him might not perish but have everlasting life it was a big deal that brought God out of heaven and that's that's the connecting the dots they should have been able to connect the dots they had plenty of miraculous signs it wasn't a problem of lack of information it was a heart problem Mark tells us their hearts were hardened it was a dullness of heart it was what Jesus rebuked the Emmaus road disciples it was a slowness of heart to believe everything that he had said
[36:55] Jesus expects yesterday's lessons to be applied to today's trials you saw me feed perhaps 15-20 thousand people yesterday with a boy's lunch and now you're in a problem I expect you to know that your deliverer is God and that he can help you in your trouble believers has the Lord not wonderfully delivered you from fears and troubles in the past some of you out of deadly peril your lives were that close to death and the Lord delivered you is that is that changing the way you face trials today the remembrance of that was God God coming to my aid so whatever I'm in now I call upon this God the Lord
[37:56] Almighty so often we forget what he's done for us in the past that's why we need to gather together and sing his praises and sing what he's done for us and share with each other let my soul boast in the Lord let me tell you what he's done for me that the afflicted might hear and rejoice had the twelve pondered the miracle of yesterday they wouldn't be freaking out today and how we need to know the Lord Jesus better and live more out of what we know about him and we would do more of that if we were more praising and thanking him for all he's done for us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow why because I've seen he has provided all that I have needed in the same hand that has met my needs yesterday he will meet my needs today and tomorrow and forever he's the faithful
[38:59] God so in their darkest hour their greatest need Jesus shows up for their deliverance assuring them of his divine presence and power and believers let's not miss what this means for us yes the Lord's eye is upon us for good he's always watching and praying for us but does the Lord Jesus come to us and reveal his glory to us in our trials or is all of that just for the days that he was on earth with his disciples oh no he does come to us in our trials he does show us his glory not physically not visually as to Moses and the twelve but spiritually and really and this is a happy part of Christian experience for the believer today Jesus sees us struggling and straining at our oars and he comes near to us in our trials draw near to God and he will what he will draw near to you there's a relational nearness that he's talking about he's always present he's the ever-present help in trouble but there is this sense of him drawing near and showing us his glory you have his commands and obeys them he is the one who loves me he who loves me will be loved by my father and I too will love him and will show myself to him are you having
[40:32] Christ show himself to you like he showed himself I'm not physically not not visually like he did but but the same reality that he comes and he shows you more of his his love more of his power more of his patience his grace his mercy and you know it when he's been there he's assuring us it is I I'm here with you in this trial he's letting us know he's not forgotten us making his glorious presence known felt in our hearts inwardly testifying to us of the certainty of his love and power and promises so David cries out to the Lord in Psalm 35 3 say to my soul Lord I am your salvation that's what I'm talking about to have the Lord say to my soul I am your salvation he's wanting God to reveal to his heart what he says in his word in his word he says I am your salvation but he's wanting God to to put it in his inward parts he's wanting God to come and say to his soul I am your salvation not audibly but powerfully by his word and spirit so that at the end of the day you go away and you say the Lord has told me I am with you I am your salvation and you go forth with a new courage a new joy a joy of the Lord that is your strength what we're wanting is a spirit wrought inward conviction of these things I'm wanting the those words on the page of my Bible to come alive and to to come home to me as as
[42:24] God speaking to me in such power that he says to my soul I am your salvation we want to taste and see that the Lord is good not just see taste we want to taste we want to feel we want to so believe that that we have a feeling sense of his presence he's with me and we who with unveiled faces all behold the Lord's glory ah there it is we behold the Lord's glory he's passing by us in the scriptures ah we behold the Lord's glory and it comes from the Lord who is the spirit oh there's sometimes I read and it just doesn't affect me but then there are times that he draws near and he reveals his glory to me and my heart says he is my salvation he is my strength he is all that I need it's the work of Satan to make us think in our trials that we're alone it's the work of the
[43:37] Lord to come and reveal his presence and power to us through his word through his spirit what a difference in the storms to lay hold of the reality of our master that he's the great I am and he's more than enough for me well his compassion his concern for his disciples and that the chapter ends with his compassion for the crowds when they hit the other side of the lake they get out of the boat everybody sees it's Jesus and they take off running they're going to get all the sick people in all the surrounding regions and bring them and put them in front of Jesus so that when he passes by if they would just touch the edge of his garment they might be healed and they were oh the compassion of Jesus as we're coming to the close of his his ministry in Galilee we're seeing this fever excitement of this this healer Jesus and we're seeing something of his compassion for the crowds and all who touched him it was the touch of faith you see I have a problem I'm sick
[44:45] Jesus heals people I'm going to reach out to him and he was pleased to heal everyone who did you've got a problem I've got a problem it's called sin Jesus is the answer to sin will you reach out in faith and touch him this morning he will save you why'd they run they didn't know but that it might be the last opportunity and indeed we don't read of Jesus going back to this place sinner friend run to Jesus he's here today in his gospel by his spirit take courage it is I do not be afraid so we wait and hope for the Lord for he is our help and our shield in him our hearts rejoice for we trust in his holy name amen Amen Amen Amen Amen