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John 6:17b-22 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Good morning. The bullpen has been called and therefore I am back.
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! So you're not our typical teacher, preacher, Nathan, this morning.
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! Just me, Colson, a fellow church member.
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So today we will be continuing our study of the Gospel of John, looking at 617b-22.
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So we're not exactly following the ESV subheadings.
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Those are not inspired, so that is totally okay.
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If that makes you uncomfortable, you'll be okay.
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So if you were here last week, don't worry.
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There's plenty more to glean out of this text.
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God's Word is an abundant source of wisdom for us,
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is a gracious gift that we have it so readily available to us.
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This story is familiar in our culture.
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I've heard people say, you would have thought that he was walking on water
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when they're talking about somebody awe-inspiring somebody else.
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There have been many gadgets, gimmicks, video editing tricks to make people look like they're walking on water.
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A story in our family actually has a similar thing where my grandfather recruited my dad and his brother
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to help him repair some fence posts in the middle of his pond in Florida.
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Kind of more of a muddy cesspool, but that's okay.
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Their goal, or their idea rather, was to screw some plywood boards onto the bottom of some old boots
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and walk out onto this muddy water.
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As the story goes, my uncle made it a couple steps through the mud part and was fine.
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And whenever things got a little more viscous, those planks created something of a vacuum,
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and he was not really able to lift his feet anymore and started to sink and fall.
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Humans were not made to walk on water.
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This is a, very clearly, this is an idea that sticks in our minds as something that is supernatural.
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But people who know this story, people that know this story know very little about the gospel
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and don't know the reason why Jesus walked on the water.
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So to cut through this familiarity, we will take an in-depth look at this story today
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and understand that this was not a party trick to impress Jesus' friends.
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This was an obvious demonstration and declaration of Jesus' deity.
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Join me before we pray.
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Join me as we pray before reading this text.
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Dear Lord, thank you so much for this chance for us to gather together
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to worship you through prayer, worship you through song,
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and worship you as we read your word to us.
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Help us to have clear ears and eyes to receive your wisdom
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and clear minds to focus today.
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Thank you for how much you love us.
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Help us to love and revere you well
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as we gather this morning and as we go through this week.
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Please speak to us this morning through your word.
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It's in Jesus' name that I pray. Amen.
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So let's read John 16, 17b, starting with,
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It was now dark, through the end of verse 22.
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It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them, the disciples.
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The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.
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When they had rowed about three or four miles,
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they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
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and they were frightened.
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But he said to them,
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It is I. Do not be afraid.
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Then they were glad to take him into the boat,
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and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
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On the next day, the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea
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saw that there had been only one boat there
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and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples,
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but that his disciples had gone away alone.
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At a couple different times this morning,
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I will make some comparing and contrasting points
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with the other accounts of Jesus walking in the water
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that we have in Matthew and Mark.
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So I think it would be helpful for us to kind of have those fresh in mind
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so we don't necessarily have to be flipping back and forth.
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So I'm going to read through those now.
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This is a good bit of reading,
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so if you want to go there with me,
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we'll start in Matthew 14 in verse 22 through 33,
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the end of that section,
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and then after that we'll go to Mark 6 to read Mark's account.
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So a good bit of reading.
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Buckle in.
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It's God's precious word to us,
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so it's great to hear.
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So starting first in Matthew 14, verse 22.
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Immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat
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and go before him to the other side
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while he dismissed the crowds.
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And after he had dismissed the crowds,
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he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
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When evening came, he was there alone,
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but the boat by this time was a long way from the land,
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beaten by the waves,
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for the wind was against them.
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And in the fourth watch of the night,
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he came to them walking on the sea.
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But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,
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they were terrified and said,
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it is a ghost.
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And they cried out in fear.
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But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying,
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take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.
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And Peter answered him,
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Lord, if it is you,
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command me to come to you on the water.
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He said, come.
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So Peter got out of the boat
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and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
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But when he saw the wind, he was afraid
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and beginning to sink,
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he cried out, Lord, save me.
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Jesus immediately reached out his hand
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and took hold of him saying,
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oh, you of little faith,
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why did you doubt?
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And when they got into the boat,
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the wind ceased
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and those in the boat worshipped him saying,
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truly you are the son of God.
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Okay, quickly now,
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let's go to Mark 6,
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starting in verse 45.
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So Mark's account of the same story.
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Immediately, he made his disciples
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get into the boat
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and go before him to the other side
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to Bethsaida
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while he dismissed the crowd.
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And after he had taken leave of them,
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he went up onto the mountain to pray.
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And when the evening came,
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the boat was out on the sea
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and he was alone on the land.
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And he saw that they were making headway painfully
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for the wind was against them.
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And about the fourth watch of the night,
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he came to them walking on the sea.
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He meant to pass by them,
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but when they saw him walking on the sea,
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they thought it was a ghost
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and cried out,
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for they all saw him
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and were terrified.
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But immediately he spoke to them
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and said,
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take heart in his eye,
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do not be afraid.
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And he got into the boat with them
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and the wind ceased.
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And they were utterly astounded,
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for they did not understand about the loaves,
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but their hearts were hardened.
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Careful observers will note some differences here,
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but these three accounts certainly agree
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on the central details.
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Each author has kind of turned this diamond
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a little bit differently
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to drive home particular points.
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So today we'll focus on the distinctives
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of John's account
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and that ought to make us investigate further
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what John is up to.
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What is he emphasizing in his account
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by looking at and turning things
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this particular way?
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As we go through our text,
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I'll flag some of those particular distinctives
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and we'll talk about the revealed emphasis
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for each
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and maybe a little bit of contrasting
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about how that compares to Matthew or Mark.
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So now that we know our text for this morning
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and have some extra context
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from Matthew and Mark,
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let's consider our text this morning
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in three-ish points.
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The sea,
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the disciples,
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and the Lord Jesus.
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So starting with point number one,
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the sea.
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So this is verse 17b through 18.
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It was now dark
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and Jesus had not yet come to them.
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The sea became rough
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because a strong wind was blowing.
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So John writes this entire passage
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in a way that reminds me
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of three different camera focal lengths,
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different levels of zoom and focus.
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So here in this verse,
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we have the widest angle,
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so to speak.
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Picture this with me for a second.
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We have Jesus on the shore,
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on the eastern side of the shore.
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We also know that the disciples
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are out here in the middle of the sea
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and we know the storm is over all of them
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and everything is dark.
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So we have this really wide
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amounts of information
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that John is giving us for this.
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And then let's look now at verse 17,
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in particular verse B,
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or part B.
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from verse 15,
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as well as the other accounts
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of this pair of vents,
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Jesus feeding the 5,000,
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as Nathan covered last week,
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and now Jesus walking on water.
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We know that Jesus had withdrawn himself
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from the crowds
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and the disciples to pray.
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But John includes a unique detail
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about this retreat
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by telling us in verse 15,
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that's what he says in verse 15,
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perceiving then that they were about to come
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and take him by force
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to make him king,
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Jesus withdrew again
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to the mountain by himself.
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So he includes this detail
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that the crowds wanted to take Jesus by force
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and make him king
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or leader of their rebellion.
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Jesus had taken hours by this point
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to be in solitude with God.
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And if I was to employ
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a bit of sanctified imagination,
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as Nathan likes to call it,
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I would suppose that Jesus
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would have been redoubling his focus
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on his perfect obedience
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to the Father and his will,
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submitting this temptation
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that was brought to him,
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that these people would force him
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to be this rebellious king
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apart from his mission
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and submitting this temptation
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to the Father.
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Let's look at verse 18.
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The sea became rough
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because a strong wind was blowing.
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The disciples are undoubtedly exhausted
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by this point in the day.
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They had been with Jesus all day
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as he taught,
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as he healed,
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fed thousands of people
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that were there.
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The disciples gathered up
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all that leftover bread.
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And now after that long day of ministry
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under our Lord,
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I am sure they were hoping
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for nothing else
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than an easy sail
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across the sea to Capernaum.
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However,
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Yahweh often uses
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difficult circumstances
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to sanctify us
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and glorify himself.
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The theme of dangerous waters
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is present throughout the Bible.
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From the unordered, chaotic,
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lifeless waters in Genesis 1
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that the spirit hovers over
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to the predatory hunting waters
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of the dragon pursuing the woman
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in Revelation 12.
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But concurrent within that theme
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is the Lord preserving his people
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through the dangerous waters
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by bringing life into creation,
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preserving Noah and his family
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on the ark,
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delivering Israel to the Red Sea
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and the Jordan River,
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escorting Jonah back to his mission
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via the deep water and a fish.
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The list goes on.
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These dangerous moments
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through scripture
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are opportunities God has made
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to exhibit his love,
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his faithfulness,
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and ultimately his glory.
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Here, John has in view
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Jesus on the shore,
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the disciples on the sea,
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the storm over them all.
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But now we're kind of going to
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zoom in a little bit
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for the second point.
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John changes focus to the boat.
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So point number two,
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the disciples,
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looking at verse 19.
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When they had rowed
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about three or four miles,
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they saw Jesus walking on the sea
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and coming near the boat.
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And they were frightened.
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So we're now zoomed in
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from that kind of extreme wide shot
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that we started with
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to focus on the labor and reaction
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of the disciples to Jesus on the water.
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The way it is written
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is specific to say
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what the disciples saw.
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If this was a video,
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I think we wouldn't necessarily
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see Jesus in this shot,
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but rather we would be looking
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at the disciples
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as they see Jesus.
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So let's,
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as they see him,
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and now let's observe
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what the disciples do.
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So there's,
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John gives three verbs
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to describe the action
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of the disciples here
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in verse 19.
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So first,
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they had rowed.
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So they had rowed
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about three or four miles
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at this point,
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the shortest crossing
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from that eastern shore
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of the Sea of Galilee
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that they started out
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to Capernaum
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up on that northwest edge of it
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likely would have been
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five or six miles.
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So these tired men
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against the wind
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were about halfway
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to their destination
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and presumably slowing down.
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They saw Jesus
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as our second verb.
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According to Matthew and Mark,
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some of them thought
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that the figure they saw
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was a ghost,
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but no matter what
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they thought they saw,
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John gives us their third verb,
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they were frightened.
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Certainly understandable.
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They're in the center
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of that large sea
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in the middle of a storm.
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If that was not enough
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to not expect to see Jesus,
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he was walking on the water.
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That's a frightening thing to see.
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They definitely would not
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have expected to see him
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like that.
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So next,
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John zooms in further
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past the disciples
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in their boat
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and we get to our center frame
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at our third point,
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the Lord Jesus.
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So here at the center point,
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John has been zooming in
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and in to get us here
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so we ought to pay
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close attention.
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So let's consider verse 20
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in three parts.
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First,
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but he said to them.
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The inclusion of the conjunction
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but connects this
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to what was previously said.
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It's answering something.
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So I would suggest to you
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that this is answering
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the disciples' frightenedness.
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Our second phrase,
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it is I,
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alternatively translated I am.
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A little bit of awkward grammar
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in English
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for this to be translated I am,
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but it is certainly
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an appropriate translation.
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I think it's getting
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at a theological point
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for us to translate
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and understand this
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this way.
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So here in our center frame,
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we get three phrases,
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but he said,
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I am,
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do not be afraid.
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And that center of the center
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is that Jesus is Yahweh,
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the I am.
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This is not the only time
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in John's gospel
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that Jesus takes up
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this divine name
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which God revealed
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to Moses in Exodus.
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Another shiny example
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occurs in John 8, 58.
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Jesus said to them,
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John tells us
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the group of Jews,
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truly, truly,
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I say to you,
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before Abraham was,
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I am.
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That third phrase
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of verse 20,
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do not be afraid.
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Even with the meaning,
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I believe Jesus and John
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intend with the declaration
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of Christ's identity,
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him identifying himself
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with God, Yahweh.
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this sentence
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or phrase,
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do not be afraid,
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does not seem to
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immediately follow
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in a worldly,
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strict sense.
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What I mean is this,
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if Jesus was seeking
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merely to comfort
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his tired
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and frightened disciples,
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he could have said,
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it's me,
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Jesus,
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God the Son.
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I will make the storm stop
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and bring you safely
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to the shore.
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Or,
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good job rowing this far,
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I'll take it from here.
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I'm sure the disciples
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would have loved to hear
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those words.
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And that would have given them
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a kind of temporary
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and shallow comfort.
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Something that we
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often may want
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when we're going through
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our own trials.
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But Jesus said,
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I am,
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do not be afraid.
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He did not assure them
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that he would relieve
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their discomfort.
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He did not promise them
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that their circumstances
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would change.
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He revealed to them
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that he is God
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and he is with them.
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And because he was with them,
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they did not need
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to be afraid.
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And this peace
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that Jesus called them to
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was not the first time
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that Yahweh
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had so encouraged
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his people.
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All through
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the Old Testament,
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we see a regular exhortation
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to not fear
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for the Lord
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is with you.
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We will look briefly
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at two examples
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that are too beautiful
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for me not to read.
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But before I get to those
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in Isaiah,
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I will list some other
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references for you,
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though this is certainly
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not an exhaustive list.
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Joshua 1.9,
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2 Chronicles 20.17,
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Jeremiah 30.10,
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and then from
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the worshiper's perspective,
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Psalm 23
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and Psalm 118,
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verse 6.
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So, let's look
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at our examples.
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So firstly,
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Isaiah 41,
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verse 10,
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says this,
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Fear not,
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for I am with you.
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Be not dismayed,
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for I am your God.
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I will strengthen you,
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I will help you.
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I will uphold you
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with my righteous right hand.
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And second,
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Isaiah 43,
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verse 1,
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through the first part
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of verse 3.
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But now,
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thus says Yahweh,
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He who created you,
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O Jacob,
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He who formed you,
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O Israel,
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fear not,
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for I have redeemed you.
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I have called you by name,
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you are mine.
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When you pass through the waters,
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I will be with you.
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And through the rivers,
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they shall not overwhelm you.
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When you walk through fire,
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you shall not be burned,
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and the flame shall not consume you.
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For I am Yahweh your God,
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the Holy One of Israel,
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your Savior.
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Wow.
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Also,
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while we're in Isaiah 43,
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verse 16 says this,
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Thus says Yahweh,
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who makes a way in the sea,
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a path in the mighty waters.
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This awesome description
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of Yahweh in Isaiah
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is typologically fulfilled
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here by the Lord Jesus Christ.
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This makes it clearer than ever
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that this storm was not just
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for the disciples
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to have a hard time sailing back.
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Rather,
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it was a red carpet
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for the king to declare
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and demonstrate his authority.
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Right before our passage today,
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in verse 15,
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John gave us that detail
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about the crowd's desire
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to force Jesus
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into being the head
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of this uprising.
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Now,
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the people were certainly right
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to notice the kingliness
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of Jesus,
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but they missed the nature
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of his kingdom
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by a mile.
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Here,
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in the middle
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of the Sea of Galilee,
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Jesus shows
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that his disciples
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that he is a king
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unlike any other.
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Unlike Caesar,
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Pharaoh,
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Nebuchadnezzar,
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Cyrus,
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Ahab,
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Hezekiah,
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Solomon,
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and David,
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Jesus makes a way
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in the sea,
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a path in the mighty waters,
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just like Yahweh.
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Although Jesus
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is the rightful king
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of kings,
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many did not receive him
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then and do not
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receive him now.
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Let's read John 8,
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59,
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the verse after
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Jesus tells the Jews
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before Abraham was,
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I am.
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So they picked up stones
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to throw at him,
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but Jesus hid himself.
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That's a sad verse.
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They are not rejecting
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a new governor
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to oversee taxes,
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trade,
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and war.
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They are rejecting
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the king of the universe.
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This ought to grieve us.
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Jesus graciously reveals
18:27
to these people
18:28
that hate him
18:28
that he is God,
18:30
but they have hardened
18:31
their hearts
18:31
and closed their eyes
18:33
and ears.
18:34
Hebrews 3,
18:35
7 through 8
18:35
reads like this,
18:37
Therefore,
18:38
as the Holy Spirit says,
18:39
today,
18:40
if you hear his voice,
18:41
do not harden your hearts
18:42
as in the rebellion.
18:43
in verse 13,
18:45
But exhort one another
18:46
every day,
18:47
as long as it is called today,
18:49
that none of you
18:50
may be hardened
18:51
by the deceitfulness
18:52
of sin.
18:53
So not all receive Jesus
18:55
as we just read.
18:56
Some reject and rebel
18:57
against him.
18:58
But what do
18:59
the disciples do?
19:00
Let's zoom back out
19:02
to the boat
19:03
from Jesus
19:04
to see the disciples' response.
19:06
Then they were glad
19:07
to take him
19:08
into the boat.
19:09
John has a slightly
19:10
different angle
19:11
on this detail
19:12
than the other two accounts
19:13
in Matthew and Mark.
19:15
Matthew and Mark
19:15
both recount this action,
19:17
he, Jesus,
19:18
got in the boat
19:18
with them,
19:19
or in Matthew,
19:21
he says they
19:21
because Peter
19:22
is also with Jesus.
19:24
And I expect
19:24
some of you
19:25
are thinking,
19:25
what difference
19:26
does it make?
19:26
Jesus got in the boat.
19:28
What difference
19:29
does it make?
19:30
How exactly
19:30
it's written down?
19:32
I propose to you
19:32
that John is making
19:33
this slight change
19:35
in who is the subject
19:36
or actor
19:37
in this phrase
19:37
for more than
19:38
just to be quirky
19:39
or different
19:40
than his friends
19:40
Matthew and Mark.
19:41
Rather,
19:42
I propose to you
19:43
that John is being
19:44
very particular
19:45
in his language
19:46
and setting the story
19:47
within the macro argument
19:48
of his gospel
19:48
and as Nathan mentioned
19:50
last week,
19:50
the structure
19:51
of chapter 6.
19:52
So let's take
19:53
a closer look
19:54
at each of those two
19:55
aspects.
19:57
First,
19:57
that macro level.
19:59
We know John's
20:00
stated purpose
20:00
for his gospel
20:01
from John 20, 31.
20:05
These are written
20:06
so that you may believe
20:07
that Jesus is the Christ,
20:09
the Son of God,
20:10
and that by believing
20:11
you may have life
20:12
in his name.
20:13
I hope that by the end
20:15
of our study of John
20:16
we will all have this verse
20:17
deeply ingrained
20:19
in our memories.
20:21
John is quite concerned
20:22
not only with telling us
20:23
these miracles
20:24
and awesome deeds
20:26
and teachings
20:27
of Christ,
20:28
but with what our response
20:29
will be to them.
20:31
He has done this
20:32
by highlighting
20:32
and contrasting
20:34
the different responses
20:35
to Christ
20:35
that he saw
20:36
while he was serving
20:38
under Jesus.
20:40
In John 8,
20:40
when Jesus reveals
20:42
to the disciples
20:43
before Abraham
20:44
was,
20:44
I am,
20:45
what was their response?
20:46
They wanted to stone him.
20:48
So here,
20:49
I think John
20:50
is very particular
20:51
in his arrangement
20:51
to make sure
20:52
we notice
20:53
the disciples' response.
20:55
They gladly received him.
20:56
I would not be shocked
20:58
to learn there is
20:59
a literary structure
21:00
to make this contrast
21:01
between John 6 and 8
21:02
more clear than it already is.
21:04
Maybe we'll find out
21:05
when we all get
21:06
to the end of John 8.
21:07
As for the structure
21:08
of this chapter,
21:09
chapter 6,
21:10
in verse 13,
21:11
the disciples gather up
21:13
the remaining bread.
21:15
And just after our text
21:17
in verse 35,
21:18
Jesus says,
21:19
I am the bread of life.
21:22
Then,
21:22
in the middle
21:23
of those pieces,
21:24
you have the disciples
21:25
receiving into their boat
21:27
the I am,
21:28
the bread of life.
21:30
This is certainly
21:31
no accident.
21:32
For the rest of our shot
21:33
here from John
21:35
in verse 21,
21:36
he tells us
21:36
what is happening
21:37
with the boat.
21:39
And immediately,
21:40
the boat was at the land
21:41
which they were going.
21:42
So this is
21:43
a miraculous deliverance.
21:45
The great I am
21:46
has brought them
21:47
all the way
21:47
through the waters.
21:50
Praise God
21:50
for his Holy Spirit
21:51
inspiring brilliant minds
21:53
and revealing himself
21:54
to us.
21:55
This is more
21:56
than just John.
21:56
This is all
21:57
of the Old Testament
21:58
beauty working together.
22:00
This is Jesus
22:01
fulfilling again and again
22:02
these types,
22:04
these slots
22:04
that are made
22:05
from the Old Testament
22:06
and fulfilling them now.
22:08
There is a slot
22:09
or type
22:10
of who it is
22:11
that heals the sick,
22:13
feeds the multitude
22:14
in the wilderness,
22:15
makes a path
22:15
in dangerous waters.
22:17
And where God
22:17
filled that slot
22:18
throughout the Old Testament
22:20
now we see
22:21
Jesus doing
22:21
all these things
22:23
because he is God.
22:26
Very interestingly,
22:27
this is the second
22:28
miraculous demonstration
22:29
of Jesus' divinity
22:31
in our passage.
22:33
First,
22:33
Jesus is walking
22:34
on the water
22:34
in verse 19
22:35
and now second,
22:37
here in verse 21,
22:39
Jesus has immediately
22:40
delivered his disciples
22:41
through this dangerous storm.
22:44
Jesus' declaration
22:45
of his divine identity
22:47
is exactly between
22:48
those two powerful wonders.
22:52
This is an opportune time
22:53
to clarify
22:54
some possible misunderstandings
22:56
or maybe even
22:57
an apparent contradiction
22:58
of some earlier statements
22:59
that I made.
23:00
I said,
23:02
Jesus did not assure them,
23:03
his disciples,
23:04
that he would relieve
23:05
their discomfort.
23:06
He did not promise them
23:07
that their circumstances
23:09
would change.
23:10
And we just read
23:11
that he did in fact
23:12
relieve their discomfort
23:14
and change their circumstances.
23:16
So we have this concept
23:17
of God allowing
23:18
and using difficult
23:20
or dangerous circumstances.
23:23
So I think it's worth it
23:23
to briefly explore
23:25
this idea for just a bit.
23:28
A quick survey
23:28
of some picked
23:30
Old Testament examples.
23:32
There's many more than this.
23:34
Joseph was sold,
23:35
accused,
23:36
and jailed in Egypt,
23:37
but God was with him.
23:38
David fled from Saul
23:40
and later his own son,
23:41
but God was with him.
23:42
Shadrach, Meshach,
23:44
and Abednego
23:44
were thrown into the furnace,
23:46
but God was with them.
23:47
Daniel was thrown
23:48
into the lion's den,
23:49
but God was with him.
23:51
Paul was shipwrecked,
23:52
but God was with him.
23:54
Stephen was stoned,
23:55
but God was with him.
23:57
All of these examples
23:58
and many more
23:59
teach us that trial,
24:01
suffering,
24:01
and hardship
24:02
will come.
24:04
But Jesus is God
24:05
and he is with us.
24:09
Here,
24:10
Jesus did deliver
24:11
the disciples
24:12
through the storm,
24:13
yes,
24:14
but they did endure it
24:15
alone for miles.
24:17
God brought Joseph
24:19
out of jail,
24:19
yes,
24:20
but he did endure it
24:21
for many days.
24:22
Jesus did receive
24:24
Stephen into his presence,
24:26
but he was martyred.
24:28
While we are enduring,
24:29
it is tempting to believe
24:30
that we are on our own
24:32
and that God
24:33
is no longer
24:33
faithfully with us.
24:36
God cannot deliver you
24:37
through the storm
24:38
if he does not
24:39
first allow you
24:40
to be caught in it.
24:43
John ends this passage
24:45
by zooming back out
24:46
again into that
24:47
extreme wide shot.
24:49
So now we are
24:49
at point one prime,
24:51
the other side
24:52
of the sea.
24:54
Let's read verse 22.
24:56
On the next day,
24:57
the crowd that remained
24:58
on the other side
24:58
of the sea
24:59
saw that there had been
25:00
only one boat there
25:02
and that Jesus
25:03
had not entered the boat
25:04
with his disciples,
25:05
but that his disciples
25:06
had gone away
25:07
alone.
25:08
This verse
25:11
is most clear
25:13
what John is doing
25:14
in framing up
25:15
this passage
25:17
for us
25:17
as he is kind of
25:18
resetting
25:19
that first shot
25:20
that we got
25:21
in verse 17b
25:23
through 18,
25:24
but instead of
25:25
Jesus on the shore,
25:26
disciples on the boat,
25:27
storm above,
25:28
it's now the crowd
25:30
on the shore
25:31
and then he's giving
25:33
another description
25:34
that Jesus did not
25:35
get on the boat
25:35
with his disciples,
25:36
so he's kind of
25:37
restating all this
25:38
information that we
25:39
learned earlier
25:41
in the passage.
25:42
So this is kind of
25:44
that repeat of information
25:45
to follow the structure
25:46
to make us pay attention
25:47
of what did we miss
25:49
from A
25:50
to that repeat of information
25:52
in A prime.
25:54
So we would be wise
25:56
to ask how this section
25:58
relates back to that
25:59
center frame
26:00
that we talked about,
26:01
Jesus' declaration
26:02
of his divine identity.
26:05
So here,
26:07
the crowd noticed
26:08
and knew
26:09
that Jesus did not
26:10
get on the boat
26:11
with his disciples,
26:13
but they also knew
26:14
that he was no longer
26:16
with them
26:16
on that eastern side
26:17
of the sea.
26:19
The crowd is curious
26:20
as to how
26:21
Jesus crossed the sea.
26:23
This is the people
26:24
that knew their waters,
26:25
knew the sea well.
26:28
Some of them
26:28
most likely
26:29
would have been able
26:29
to surmise
26:30
that Jesus certainly
26:31
did not walk around
26:32
in that time.
26:35
So John explores
26:36
the interaction
26:36
between Jesus
26:37
and the crowd
26:38
through the rest
26:39
of the chapter,
26:40
which we will not
26:41
obviously get into today.
26:43
So now that we have
26:44
followed John
26:45
as he started wide,
26:47
zoomed in on the boat,
26:48
zoomed in on Jesus,
26:49
and then back to the boat,
26:51
and back to that whole scene,
26:53
let's consider
26:54
some closing applications.
26:55
Number one,
26:58
believe the declaration
27:00
that Jesus is God.
27:03
Every day,
27:04
as we work,
27:05
parent,
27:06
eat,
27:07
live,
27:07
and go,
27:08
we must not lose sight
27:10
of the truth
27:11
of Jesus' deity
27:12
verified by his resurrection.
27:16
Application number two,
27:19
believe Jesus' promise
27:20
that he is with us.
27:22
Because Jesus
27:23
has verified his divinity
27:25
through his resurrection,
27:27
when we hear his promise
27:28
that he is with us,
27:29
we get that from
27:30
Matthew 28, 20,
27:31
that he will be with us
27:32
to the end of the age
27:33
as we go.
27:34
We can have confidence,
27:36
trust,
27:37
faith in it.
27:38
If Jesus had given us
27:40
that promise to hold to,
27:41
but he did not come out
27:42
of the tomb,
27:43
we would be fools
27:44
to hold to it.
27:46
Praise God
27:46
that we do not have
27:47
to be those fools.
27:49
And application number three,
27:50
do not be afraid.
27:52
Because Jesus
27:54
has finished his work,
27:56
if we are in him,
27:57
we no longer have anything
27:58
to fear.
28:00
Embarrassment,
28:01
awkwardness,
28:01
persecution,
28:02
trials,
28:03
even death,
28:04
do not have any claim
28:05
over us.
28:07
The pastor of Hebrews
28:08
put it this way
28:09
in Hebrews 2,
28:10
14 through 15,
28:11
which reads,
28:12
Since, therefore,
28:13
the children share
28:14
in flesh and blood,
28:17
Jesus himself
28:18
likewise partook
28:19
of the same things,
28:20
that through death
28:22
he might destroy
28:23
the one who has
28:25
the power of death,
28:26
that is the devil,
28:27
and deliver
28:28
all those
28:30
who through fear
28:31
of death
28:31
were subject
28:32
to lifelong slavery.
28:35
That fear of death
28:36
was the means
28:37
the devil employed
28:38
to keep us
28:39
subject
28:40
to lifelong slavery.
28:42
But now,
28:43
in Christ,
28:44
we have the freedom
28:45
to not succumb
28:46
to that fear.
28:47
If you are not in Christ,
28:48
if you do not have faith
28:50
in the perfect life,
28:51
atoning death,
28:52
and glorious resurrection
28:53
of Jesus,
28:54
you cannot overcome
28:55
death in and of yourself.
28:58
You need the power
28:59
of another.
29:00
Stop trying to work
29:02
yourself to heaven.
29:03
You must believe
29:05
that Jesus is the Christ,
29:06
the Son of God,
29:07
and by believing,
29:09
you may have life
29:09
in his name.
29:11
You may be thinking
29:12
that you do not fear death,
29:15
and that's good,
29:15
but consider,
29:17
when I'm selfish
29:18
with my time,
29:20
it's because I know
29:21
that death is coming.
29:22
I won't be able
29:23
to watch that movie,
29:24
play that game,
29:25
read that book forever,
29:26
so I ought to do it now,
29:28
says my sinful flesh.
29:30
But let's pick up
29:31
that exhortation
29:32
from Hebrews 3
29:33
that we read earlier.
29:35
We ought not
29:36
to allow one another
29:37
or ourselves
29:38
to be hardened
29:39
by this,
29:41
to naturally
29:42
prioritize ourselves
29:43
above other things.
29:45
We grumble,
29:47
fight,
29:47
and hoard
29:48
because we fear,
29:50
but our Lord
29:51
and Savior
29:52
has defeated death.
29:54
He is with us,
29:55
therefore,
29:56
we no longer
29:57
must be afraid
29:58
and we are freed.
30:00
So now,
30:01
we are to use
30:01
that freedom
30:02
to serve
30:03
and love one another
30:04
and so fulfill
30:05
the law of Christ.
30:08
Pray with me.