Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim! Today I want to talk to you about something very important; what to do in a situation in which Jesus may seem distant or far away; how are we to understand the various circumstances we face when He may seem to be invisible or absent. What do we do when we feel alone? And there is a passage of scripture (a very unique story) that speaks directly to this…John 6:16-21 (ESV)— 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 g...
Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim! Today I want to talk to you about something very important; what to do in a situation in which Jesus may seem distant or far away; how are we to understand the various circumstances we face when He may seem to be invisible or absent. What do we do when we feel alone? And there is a passage of scripture (a very unique story) that speaks directly to this…
John 6:16-21 (ESV)— 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles,[a] they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Jesus Nowhere in Sight-- The disciples usually had the security of the visible presence and active discipleship of Jesus. But not here in our passage this morning. Here Jesus appears to be gone. He has, as he used to do so often, withdrawn to pray. And He has sent them ahead to cross the Sea of Galilee back to Capernaum, which is where Peter lived and where Jesus’ home base was; there in Peter’s house. But they had to cross the Sea. And [If the feeding of the multitude {in the previous passage} took place at the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the shortest distance to Capernaum would be 5–6 miles (8–10 km).] And here the scripture says they had gone three or four miles. So they have roughly two miles left. But the journey is taking longer than it should because the wind is against them. Normally they could use the sail, but because the wind is blowing in the opposite direction, they are forced to row. Now to row 5-6 miles is quite a task, but to do so against the wind; against that resistance would be incredibly difficult. And plus the Bible says that in addition to the wind, the sea was rough, and it had become dark. They are caught out in the sea, in a dangerous situation, at night. And Jesus is nowhere in sight.
Times of Revival and Times of Trial-- The disciples suddenly knew they were in trouble because they did not have their teacher; their Rabbi with them. But what about for you and me? What do we do when we do not sense the nearness of Christ? Sometimes things are going great; our Christian walk being a lot like having the wind of God filling our sails and carrying us along our journey. But at other times it feels like we are alone and that every step we take is just one arduous stroke after another. And this isn’t just an individual thing, but can also be experienced in the life of the Church. There are times of revival when we sense the nearness of God and feel His reforming, rejuvenating power. And yet there are also periods of dryness, persecution, stress, conflict, or illness. And every person goes through these periods of difficulty. But we must stay the course; steadily rowing; looking forward to the day when Jesus will step back into the boat; and when He does we find that in reality He never left. Now the disciples are now worn out; they are tired; they feel like their efforts are fruitless. But it says then that…
John 6:19b-20 (ESV)-- they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”
He meant to pass by them-- Now it is important to note here that Jesus was not unaware of their trouble. In Mark’s account we see that He had withdrawn to a quiet place to pray and from there he could see them in their struggle. They could not see Him, but He could see them. And when He sees their need, He comes to them. Now what is fascinating to me about Mark’s account is that he says of Jesus that He meant to pass by them (Mark 6:48). Now you have to picture this because they are rowing feverishly towards land (have been for a long time) and one of them happens to look to his right and his eyes go bug-eyed because there is Jesus, calmly walking across the waves and is about to PASS THEM! He was supposed to meet them LATER at Capernaum. But He’s going to pass on ahead of them! And it seems like He is completely unencumbered by the problems that (to them) seem insurmountable. And what Jesus is showing them is that none of the problems they face are ever too big for Him; He’s bigger than all of it. They can’t even slow Him down! And He wants them to understand that they don’t need to be afraid. Because of WHO HE IS, they do not need to be afraid. That is why He says in verse 20: It is I; do not be afraid.”
"I AM"— Now [Jesus’ words, “It is I,” represent the Greek phrase egō eimi, which in other contexts can be translated “I am.”…] And we know that phrase is significant because that is God’s name that He gives to Moses: “I AM”. And when Jesus uses that same phrase (egō eimi) later in John 8:58, the Jews pick up stones to stone Him for blasphemy; because they recognize who He is claiming to be. But looking back to this verse, we can see why it is always important to recognize who Jesus really is and the authority He commands over every situation we can possibly get ourselves into.
“there is no situation…that I cannot get you out of”-- Someone once shared a story, saying: [Some years ago when I was learning to fly, my instructor told me to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help me at all. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, my mind began to function again. I quickly corrected the situation. Immediately I turned to the instructor and began to vent my fearful frustrations on him. He very calmly said to me, "There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it again." {And he says:} At that moment God seemed to be saying to me, "Remember this. As you serve Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right." {And he says:} That lesson has been proven true in my ministry many times over the years.]
Jesus Never Loses Control-- Similarly, in each and every one of our lives, Jesus never calls us into a situation that He cannot handle; that is out of His control. And we can trust God to protect us in any situation that we give Him complete control over. Because He is greater than any who could oppose us.He never loses. And God has never abandoned a person who truly loves Him; never. Where Jesus is allowed to reign, victory will always be the outcome. And this is something the disciples see so clearly when they welcome Him into the boat. Look what immediately happens. It says in…
John 6:21 (ESV)-- 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, {and Mark’s account adds that the wind ceased} and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. {In other words, they were supernaturally transported the remaining 2 miles. immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.} {Now this whole event is a remarkable fulfillment of…}
Psalm 107:28-30 (ESV)— 28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
He Will Carry Us-- No matter the conditions of the weather or the conditions of the boat, if we believe in Jesus; in His sovereign power and control, we can rest assured that we are safe in His arms and that He will carry us to our destination.
Cast Away: The Unopened Package-- There is this old movie that has become one of my all-time favorites; a movie called Cast Away, about a FedEx manager whose delivery plane, after running into a storm and getting off-course, crashes into the ocean, killing everyone else on board. And he is the sole survivor and is able to make it to the shore of an uncharted island. And the story is about his survival on the island; his struggle to start a fire; find shelter; that kind of thing; and the ongoing hope he has of escaping the island and being united once again with the woman he loves. But some time after the crash, packages from the plane begin to wash up on shore and he begins to open them one by one and discovers things that he can utilize. He uses the blades of a pair of ice skates to crack open coconuts for food; he uses a bunch of old video tapes to make rope. But when he gets to the final package, he sees a beautiful design on the package and hesitates. And instead of opening it, he holds onto it in the hope that one day when he might get off that island, he might return that package. And for him it became a symbol of hope. And in the end he eventually builds a raft and does get off the island (several years after the initial crash); and when he delivers that package, he leaves it on the doorstep of the person who originally sent it, saying, “This package saved my life.” It is quite a powerful story. But you know it leaves you wondering what was in the package. He never opens it; and we never find out. And I always wondered what it would have been like if in that package was the very thing he needed to be delivered off that island; like a satellite phone or a GPS location device. If it was me, I would have opened the package.
Opening the Package-- But what about in our day to day struggles; when we are going through the tough times? I wonder if we don’t almost make Jesus like that package. We have Him; He is always present and available to us, but we never open the package; we never take advantage of Him. We never invite Him into the boat. We would much rather oar. Now the disciples welcome Him into the boat. But notice that Jesus never assumed He’s just going to get into the boat. In fact He doesn’t even seem to be giving any kind of signal that He has any intention whatsoever of quieting the waves. He’s merely going to pass them by. Why is that? Because Jesus is demonstrating something very profound. He is showing His disciples that He will never presume Himself upon a situation in which He is not invited. He has not yet been invited into the boat and therefore doesn’t set foot inside. He was never asked to quiet the waves or to miraculously carry them to their destination; and therefore He seeks to pass them by. Notice how it is only after they welcome Him into the boat that He steps in, quiets the waves, and takes them to their destination. What a powerful demonstration of how Jesus moves. Jesus will never move in a situation in which He is not invited and welcomed into. How welcome is Jesus in your life? How welcome is He in my life? Have we invited Him in such away that He feels He has our permission to move. Now it seems silly to us that the Son of God would need to ask our permission, but that’s the way He chooses to do things. God is a gentleman; He never comes into a situation uninvited.
Our Storms-- Are you going through the storms of life? What do we do when we those times come? We invite Jesus back into the boat. Because we remember that no matter how bad things seem to be, He is always in sovereign control. And there is no relationship too broken; no situation so severe that it is beyond the saving power of His grace; if only we are willing to receive it; to open the package; to welcome Him into the boat. Let us welcome Him today. Amen.
