Sermon Tone Analysis

That you May Believe and Have Life #19

John 6:16-22

 

We’ve been preaching through the book of John at New Life.

As we move our place in John 6, remember that the last time I shared with you, Jesus fed 20,000 people with a little boys lunch.

After this sign, Jesus knew that they wanted to “make him King by force”, verse 15 says, so he went off by himself.

We can never force Jesus to do what we want, outside of his will.

And while he gets away from the crowd he sends his disciples on ahead.

Let’s Read 16-21

 

Now it would seem here that the disciples went on of their own volition, but Mark lets us know that he sent the disciples away, and he dispersed the crowd before going off by himself.

It would be interesting to know if the disciples wondered /“how’s Jesus getting across the lake?” /

 

I have in mind one thing today and that is to encourage you; to lift you up, especially if you are going through a storm in your life right now.

Perhaps you have been blind sided by an unexpected storm.

Perhaps sickness has hit your family unexpected

Perhaps a financial crisis or one at work

Maybe there’s a storm building in your house … on the Job … school  

Well be encouraged today.

Because of the geography of the Sea of Galilee it was not unusual for storms to come out of nowhere.

Cool air from Mt. Herman would collide with the hot dry air from the South and East and Storms would rise up …

 

In the midst of your unexpected storm I want you to see three things today

A Proclamation

A Word of Consolation

A Moment of Reconciliation…

 

I want you to hear Christ today say …

 

1.

It is I - Proclamation

 

You need to be reminded of something today and that is the Omniscience and Omnipresence of the Lord

 

If you are in a storm today, our Lord is not unaware and he is NOT unavailable, nor unreachable …

 

/Psalm 139:1-12 (NIV) \\ 1 //For the director of music.

Of David.

A psalm.

//O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.// //2 //You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.// //3 //You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.//

//4 //Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.// //5 //You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.// //6 //Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.//

//7 //Where// can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?//

//8 //If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.//

//9 //If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,// //10 //even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.//

//11 //If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”// //12 //even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you./

He goes on to say that the reason for this is because God made us … AND he has an appointment book written down with every event of our life written on it.

Jesus Christ knows the celebrations and the sufferings, the tragedies and triumphs, the majestic and mundane, the storms and sunshine.

You will NEVER catch him off-guard

 

Storms are a PART of this earthly existence.

Storms are NOT always the result of sin but they are always with the permission, if not the instigation of God.

Jonah experienced a storm, as did his boat mates, because of his disobedience.

God sent the storm because Jonah was outside of God’s will

But in this case Jesus sent the disciples out INTO the storm.

Did Jesus know the storm would come that night?

You bet he did, and he sent the disciples out anyway

I’ve told you before that being in harm’s way but in the center of God’s will is safer than being on the shore outside of God’s will …

 

You need to hear Jesus today say /“It is I” /

The disciples were afraid.

The interesting thing is that this was NOT the first storm the disciples had seen with Jesus … Matthew’s account of this story is in Matthew 14, but in Matthew 8, they were in a storm with Jesus IN the boat, asleep and they were afraid and woke Jesus up and he stilled the storm AND scolded them for failing to have faith.

So here they are in another storm, this time with Jesus OUT of the boat … They saw Jesus walking and they were terrified.

It wasn’t the storm that terrified them, they were sailors, they had been in storms.

It was that guy out there on the water that frightened them.

It was the fear that there was something greater in the storm

Jesus Christ is always the Lord of the Storm.

Whether he caused it or allowed it, he is STILL the Lord of the Storm

His presence is still in the storm.

A.

Sometimes the Presence of Jesus Stirs the Water

 

Jesus was walking on that water … and I believe he was working up a wave … he was going faster than his disciples

Jesus ever stirred the water in your life?

Jesus ever called you to something that stirred up the “calm” you were enjoying in church, in life

Jesus, things were going fine until …

 

  B.

Sometimes the Presence of Jesus Stills the Water

 

But don’t lose sight of his PRESENCE.

We like it when the waters are still … we aren’t crazy about it when they are stirred and sometimes we pull away from Jesus when he doesn’t do what we want

But we still need to draw near to him

But the evil is near too … sure, the storm is all around you have two choices …

1)     you can surrender to the nearness of the storm or

2)     you can surrender to the nearness of Christ

Ps. 119:150-151 – /those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.

Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true./

Ps. 145:15 /the Lord is near to all who call on him to all who call on him in truth.

/

 

In your storm today can you hear Jesus say /“It is I”/ 

 

Where can I go from his presence?

Not in a storm

Not in the dark

Not in the wind

Not in the sunshine

Not in the rain

Not in the joy,

not in the pain

You can’t get away from his presence

You HAVEN’T gotten away from his presence

/“It is I”/

 

And then his next phrase is so important today …

 

2.

Don’t Be Afraid - Consolation

 

We’ve been studying Joshua we’ve been learning about Strength, Courage, Fear and Discouragement

 

Jesus says /“Do Not Be Afraid”/

We have learned the fearful effect of fear

 

/Fearful of Footprints/

/The destructive effect of fear and worry on our Christian faith is vividly illustrated by Daniel DeFoe’s character Robinson Crusoe.

Rejecting his father’s pleas, Crusoe had left home in search of wealth and adventure.

His life was one of recklessness and godlessness until, following a terrible storm and shipwreck, he found himself stranded on a deserted island in the Caribbean.

There his soul began to respond to the Lord, and finding a Bible among the effects salvaged from the ship, he was converted and grew into a thankful, devout, hard-working Christian.

His life, though missing human companionship, was peaceful and prayerful.

His faith grew strong./

/But one day Crusoe found a footprint in the sand, and he suddenly realized that he was not alone on the island.

Knowing the fierce, cannibalistic practices of the native tribes, he grew into a fearful man.