SPEAKER_01: This sermon was recorded at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
SPEAKER_00: I feel so insignificant behind this pulpit.
SPEAKER_00: Dear brothers and sisters, we're going to open up the scriptures in John 6 and going to pick off where Jason left off last week.
SPEAKER_00: Him and I decided for the time that he's on some family vacation to preach through John chapter 6, a very monumental passage in John's gospel.
SPEAKER_00: And this, of course, follows what Jason preached on last week, the feeding of the 5,000.
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to pick up there in verse 15.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to ask God to grace our time here together.
SPEAKER_00: And ask him to just open the word for us.
SPEAKER_00: Heavenly Father, I pray that you will give us clarity to the meaning of Scripture, what you intended it to say to us.
SPEAKER_00: May God we not only hear, but may we introspectively process and apply the word as needed.
SPEAKER_00: May we not leave today the mirror of scripture and be forgetful years.
SPEAKER_00: I pray that you will guide me, that you give me clarity of speech.
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name, amen.
SPEAKER_00: The title of my message today is Christos Pantocrator.
SPEAKER_00: And you're like, what's this all about?
SPEAKER_00: Just hang in there.
SPEAKER_00: Um I'm a I like art.
SPEAKER_00: I enjoy going to art galleries, and I remember the catacombs in Rome where I could see early artwork of Christianity.
SPEAKER_00: Very, very amazing.
SPEAKER_00: And there's one portraying a picture of Christians being persecuted, and there's a picture of Christ being the Good Shepherd.
SPEAKER_00: Beautiful picture.
SPEAKER_00: But starting in the fourth century, all through the Middle Ages, Christian artists portrayed Jesus as Christos Pantukrator.
SPEAKER_00: Pantucrator, or Pantucrator, depends where you grew up, is literally translated from two Greek words all plus mighty.
SPEAKER_00: Christ, the Almighty One, the all-powerful Christ, ruler of all.
SPEAKER_00: These paintings often depict Jesus as one who draws the circle of the earth and measures the depths of the ocean.
SPEAKER_00: This was the case all through the ages.
SPEAKER_00: But by the time of the Renaissance, Jesus is portrayed as an infant sitting on his mother's lap.
SPEAKER_00: Just a change in culture as picked up by the artist.
SPEAKER_00: Artists are very good at portraying what culture thinks and what churches think.
SPEAKER_00: As we look at John 6, the Gospel writer is portraying Jesus as Christos Pantocrator, Christ the Almighty, the all-powerful ruler of all things.
SPEAKER_00: And John paints a picture here for us.
SPEAKER_00: It's a very dramatic scene.
SPEAKER_00: Two scenes, one on a mountain that is unshakable, one man, one unshakable mountain, and then a group of men on a stormy sea, a very contrasting picture.
SPEAKER_00: Let us read from verse 15 and John 6.
SPEAKER_00: Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
SPEAKER_00: When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum.
SPEAKER_00: It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
SPEAKER_00: The sea became rough because of a strong wind blowing.
SPEAKER_00: When they had rowed about three or four miles they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus said to them, It is I, do not be afraid.
SPEAKER_00: Then they were glad to take him into the boat.
SPEAKER_00: And immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
SPEAKER_00: What a dramatic story.
SPEAKER_00: And at several points through this portion of Scripture, John is making several connections to the Old Testament, reminiscent of Moses in the wilderness and the manna, the preceding context, there the feeding of the five thousand.
SPEAKER_00: John connects Jesus with the prophecy given to Moses in Deuteronomy 18 verse 15.
SPEAKER_00: Deuteronomy 18 verse 15, where it speaks about this prophet, this coming prophet, a better Moses.
SPEAKER_00: And this better Moses will be a prophet.
SPEAKER_00: And they are told that the people must listen to his voice.
SPEAKER_00: And no doubt they conclude that Jesus is the prophet prophesied about in Deuteronomy 18.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 14.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Therefore, when the people saw the sign which he performed, they said, This is truly the prophet, speaking of the Deuteronomy 18 prophet, who is to come into the world.
SPEAKER_00: And the way that John is structuring these stories for us, he connects us with the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_00: And he is going to do the same in this dramatic display on the Sea of Galilee.
SPEAKER_00: There's many Old Testament connections.
SPEAKER_00: And in fact, the passage really comes to life once we see these connections.
SPEAKER_00: Look at John 6.20.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just orientating you through the passage here.
SPEAKER_00: John 6.20 it says, but he said to them, It is I, do not be afraid.
SPEAKER_00: That phrase is anchored in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_00: We can think of Genesis 17.1, where God appears to a very fearful Abraham, and he says to Abraham, I am God Almighty, I am Al-Shaddai.
SPEAKER_00: I am the mighty one, and he calms Abraham's fears.
SPEAKER_00: Yahweh appears to Moses on Mount Horeb and likewise comforts Moses, telling him to say to the Israelites that I am sent you.
SPEAKER_00: I am is the memorial name of God, Exodus 3.15.
SPEAKER_00: Yahweh says to the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 41, 13, for I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, do not fear, I will help you.
SPEAKER_00: And once again, the very presence of the I Am sends this message, do not be afraid.
SPEAKER_00: John deliberately connects divine attributes with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He takes the attributes of Yahweh, God Almighty, El-Shaddai, the great I Ham, and he connects it here with Jesus in John 6 very powerfully.
SPEAKER_00: And in fact, this entire section of John 6 cannot be unhitched from the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_00: John did not such Kool-Aid as to separate the Old Testament from the New Testament.
SPEAKER_00: Neither should we.
SPEAKER_00: And so as we study this passage, I want to show you three divine attributes displayed in Christ and how John connects it is very comforting to us.
SPEAKER_00: You know, we all know from a very young age the three O's omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience.
SPEAKER_00: We know that.
SPEAKER_00: And I would say to you, so what?
SPEAKER_00: Whoopi, what does that mean?
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean to us practically?
SPEAKER_00: And John will show us that.
SPEAKER_00: This is what it means for us very practically, especially when we are in chaos in life.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, John 6 is a story of how Christ brought calm to chaos.
SPEAKER_00: And he connects it with the attributes of God.
SPEAKER_00: And the three ways in which he connects these attributes is one, omniscience is connected with intercession.
SPEAKER_00: Omnipotence is connected with comfort and consolation.
SPEAKER_00: And omnipresence is connected with redemption.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to work through each one of these.
SPEAKER_00: But I hope you will leave here today thinking about the attributes of Christ, the divine attributes, in a different way, and that they are very practical and very comforting to us when our lives are somewhat in chaos.
SPEAKER_00: When I counsel people, I often bring in the attributes of Christ, the divine attributes to comfort people.
SPEAKER_00: They're very reassuring.
SPEAKER_00: So let's see how John connects the different attributes.
SPEAKER_00: The first one is the omniscience of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And he connects that with prayer and intercession.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verses 15 to 18.
SPEAKER_00: Then John 6 he says, so Jesus, perceiving, Jesus perceiving that they were intending to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone.
SPEAKER_00: Now, when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum.
SPEAKER_00: It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
SPEAKER_00: He had not yet come to them.
SPEAKER_00: The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
SPEAKER_00: Chaos is breaking out here.
SPEAKER_00: The scene is becoming more and more chaotic, and Jesus is not with them.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is where?
SPEAKER_00: He's up on a mountain.
SPEAKER_00: What is he doing on top of a mountain, you would say?
SPEAKER_00: We'll see what he does a little later on.
SPEAKER_00: What is he doing on the mountain?
SPEAKER_00: But for now, the divine attribute of omniscience is becoming very clear because it says there that he is perceiving the intentions of the heart.
SPEAKER_00: They're not saying and blabbering here, we want to make you king, we want to make you king.
SPEAKER_00: He is sensing it because he knows the hearts and minds of human beings.
SPEAKER_00: This is not the first time we read about this in Luke 5.22.
SPEAKER_00: He says to the Jews, why are you reasoning in your hearts?
SPEAKER_00: In the Bible, whenever it speaks about the heart, it speaks about the human mind.
SPEAKER_00: And so Jesus knows what's on our minds.
SPEAKER_00: He knows it, and he knows it perfectly.
SPEAKER_00: One author says his supernatural knowledge of their intentions to make him king is clear to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: It is clear to him what their intentions are, and they haven't even acted on it.
SPEAKER_00: John is probably thinking of Psalm 139 verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: You know when I sit down, and you know when I rise up, you understand my thought from afar.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus knows our thoughts from afar.
SPEAKER_00: He knows every intention of our hearts from a distance.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: He's omniscient.
SPEAKER_00: Because of his omniscience.
SPEAKER_00: He knows the darkest thoughts in everyone's hearts here today.
SPEAKER_00: And yet he shows himself kind of benevolent.
SPEAKER_00: He knows what you're thinking, and he shows himself kind of benevolent.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 15 there.
SPEAKER_00: He withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone.
SPEAKER_00: Very emphatic.
SPEAKER_00: What is he doing on the mountain?
SPEAKER_00: Have you thought about that?
SPEAKER_00: Somebody says pray.
SPEAKER_00: You absolutely right.
SPEAKER_00: Just like Moses retreated to the mountain to be with God, so Jesus retreated to be with God.
SPEAKER_00: A parallel account is Mark 646.
SPEAKER_00: He says there after bidding them farewell, he left for the mountain to pray.
SPEAKER_00: So we know for a fact he was up on the mountain praying.
SPEAKER_00: But at this point, his disciples left the safety of the shoreline of Bithsida, and they started rowing across the Sea of Galilee to the west to Capernaum, about five or six miles as the crow flies.
SPEAKER_00: Capernaum means village of consolation or village of grace.
SPEAKER_00: They were going from Bethsaida to the village of grace, all alone by themselves, Jesus on the mountain, and they are now on a stormy sea.
SPEAKER_00: Darkness overcame the disciples.
SPEAKER_00: The winds were blowing from the mountains.
SPEAKER_00: The journey has become precarious.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 17 says, It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
SPEAKER_00: It's dark.
SPEAKER_00: Where is Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: He's got to be here with us.
SPEAKER_00: We need him.
SPEAKER_00: He's on a mountain all by himself.
SPEAKER_00: What is he doing?
SPEAKER_00: He's interceding for them.
SPEAKER_00: Dear brothers and sisters, do we not at times have a similar experience?
SPEAKER_00: We feel things are chaotic.
SPEAKER_00: It has become dark into our in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: And where is Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: We can't find him.
SPEAKER_00: We've prayed, we've opened our Bibles, and we're growing nervously impatient.
SPEAKER_00: Where is Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: Has he forgotten about us?
SPEAKER_00: But Matthew Henry says of this passage, he says, they were Christ's disciples and were now in the way of their duty, and Christ was now on the mountain praying for them.
SPEAKER_00: And yet they were in his distress.
SPEAKER_00: And yet they were in this distress.
SPEAKER_00: The perils and afflictions of this present time may very well consist with our interest in Christ and his intercession.
SPEAKER_00: How can Christ intercede for us properly?
SPEAKER_00: He can only do that if he knows everything perfect.
SPEAKER_00: For all we know, he could be facing the other direction.
SPEAKER_00: There to his back.
SPEAKER_00: He's on a mountain, they're on a stormy sea.
SPEAKER_00: It's dark.
SPEAKER_00: They didn't have lights on the boats.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't even see them.
SPEAKER_00: And yet he knows, and he intercedes.
SPEAKER_00: He knows everything.
SPEAKER_00: He knows everything perfect.
SPEAKER_00: He knows of the drama unfolding on the Sea of Galilee.
SPEAKER_00: And he knows perfectly how to pray for them.
SPEAKER_00: Christ has perfect knowledge of all things at all time, and he knows everything.
SPEAKER_00: And he uses that knowledge for the benevolence and benefits of his beloved saints.
SPEAKER_00: Romans 8.34.
SPEAKER_00: Who is the one who condemns?
SPEAKER_00: Christ Jesus is he who died.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, rather, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
SPEAKER_00: At the throne of God.
SPEAKER_00: Christ, in fact, continuously makes intercession for us as believers before the Father.
SPEAKER_00: Even when we think he does not know about our situation, maybe even before you and I think of praying, Jesus is already praying for us, interceding for us.
SPEAKER_00: And we might think it is dark and Jesus is not come yet to our rescue.
SPEAKER_00: He is at work.
SPEAKER_00: He is at work ceaselessly praying for us.
SPEAKER_00: I find this thought mind-blowing.
SPEAKER_00: He knew perfectly what was in the minds of the disciples, and no doubt they had some weird thoughts about Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe they even wanted to make him king by force, right?
SPEAKER_00: Who knows?
SPEAKER_00: And yet he intercedes for them.
SPEAKER_00: It says in Hebrews 7.27, therefore he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always loves to make intercessions for them.
SPEAKER_00: Who is the them?
SPEAKER_00: The saints.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus will soon come to their aid.
SPEAKER_00: One author says the Son of God who made the world was in control of all the forces of nature.
SPEAKER_00: And in this case, he will soon suspend the law of gravity.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 18 to 20.
SPEAKER_00: The sea began to be stirred up because the strong wind was blowing.
SPEAKER_00: Then when they had rowed about three or four miles, now think of this: three or four miles, the wind blowing, these guys are no doubt, off course, the entire lake has a surface area of 84 square miles.
SPEAKER_00: 84 square miles.
SPEAKER_00: That's a lot of real estate, right?
SPEAKER_00: I try to calculate this with my limited abilities of math.
SPEAKER_00: I did not do well at school in math, but I I figure it is about a 12 square mile area that they potentially could be in.
SPEAKER_00: It's dark.
SPEAKER_00: The waves are all over the place.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus sets a course for them.
SPEAKER_00: How did he find that?
SPEAKER_00: He's like, where are you?
SPEAKER_00: I don't get the picture that he's like, okay, he's not succumbing to the waves, he's not fighting the waves, he's not fighting the wind.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 19.
SPEAKER_00: When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea.
SPEAKER_00: This is like a greenway.
SPEAKER_00: He's in spring.
SPEAKER_00: He's like just walking.
SPEAKER_00: And he drew near to the boat.
SPEAKER_00: And you would think that they're like, whoa, great news, Jesus is here.
SPEAKER_00: But what is happening?
SPEAKER_00: They were frightened.
SPEAKER_00: You think they'll be freaked out by the waves and the wind.
SPEAKER_00: They freaked out, Jesus is coming to them.
SPEAKER_00: What a powerful display of what?
SPEAKER_00: Not only omniscience, he knew where to find them because he knew exactly where they were.
SPEAKER_00: This is a display of divine omnipotence.
SPEAKER_00: You're as the creator, a Christos Pentacrator, suspending the laws of gravity.
SPEAKER_00: And it comes.
SPEAKER_00: And it brings comfort and consolation.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus walks out on the water.
SPEAKER_00: He's not straining himself.
SPEAKER_00: The winds and the waves are not opposing him.
SPEAKER_00: The darkness of night is not confusing him.
SPEAKER_00: He walks straight up to the boat.
SPEAKER_00: Because he's Christos, Pontucrator.
SPEAKER_00: He is Christ, the Almighty.
SPEAKER_00: And they were frightened.
SPEAKER_00: This next scene, developing year, displays divine omnipotence, but it captures this moment here of the omnipotent one bringing comfort and consolation.
SPEAKER_00: There's something to be said here of fear.
SPEAKER_00: And a rightful fear.
SPEAKER_00: God is not tame.
SPEAKER_00: He is not tame.
SPEAKER_00: He's a lion.
SPEAKER_00: But he's good.
SPEAKER_00: And then he says to them, It is I in verse 20.
SPEAKER_00: This is a culminating verse here.
SPEAKER_00: He said to them, It is I, do not be afraid.
SPEAKER_00: Now we got to slow down here.
SPEAKER_00: This is very, very amazing.
SPEAKER_00: And I got kind of excited about this, okay?
SPEAKER_00: Because what Jesus is literally saying here is, I am, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: I am, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: You can go online to these interlinear Bibles.
SPEAKER_00: You can check the Greek and the English is below that.
SPEAKER_00: Take my word for it.
SPEAKER_00: He is saying, I am, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: Or stop fearing.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't say, hey dude, it's me.
SPEAKER_00: Hey, chill out, I'm here.
SPEAKER_00: He's saying, I am, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: He is intentionally using a very familiar Old Testament phrase.
SPEAKER_00: I am, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: They like, whoa, didn't didn't Yahweh say that to Abraham?
SPEAKER_00: Did Yahweh not say that to Moses?
SPEAKER_00: I am, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: Genesis 26, 25.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, I am the God of your father, Abraham.
SPEAKER_00: Do not fear.
SPEAKER_00: I am with you.
SPEAKER_00: I am, plus, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: Exodus 3.14.
SPEAKER_00: God says to Moses, Moses is like intimidated.
SPEAKER_00: He's like, yeah, I'm scared.
SPEAKER_00: These people are gonna just kick me out, these Israelites, they they they difficult people.
SPEAKER_00: And God says to him, I am who I am.
SPEAKER_00: John's gospel is saturated with these I am statements.
SPEAKER_00: There's numerous of these I am statements.
SPEAKER_00: John 18 verse 6 is probably the culminating of those statements.
SPEAKER_00: What happened in John 18, 6?
SPEAKER_00: The arrest of Jesus, a mob comes.
SPEAKER_00: And they they come to arrest Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And and they and they say to Jesus, are you Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: Let me take you there.
SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
SPEAKER_00: John eighteen sixteen.
SPEAKER_00: Sorry, eighteen six.
SPEAKER_00: I thought for a moment somebody retyped my Bible.
SPEAKER_00: So when he said to them, I am he, you see the he is italics?
SPEAKER_00: Means it's not in the original language.
SPEAKER_00: What's there in the original language is I am.
SPEAKER_00: And Judas also was betraying him, was standing there.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so he says to them, I am.
SPEAKER_00: And what happens?
SPEAKER_00: They drew back and they fell to the ground.
SPEAKER_00: Because for a moment there he displayed himself as Al Shaddai, Yahweh, God Almighty.
SPEAKER_00: A great display of omnipotence.
SPEAKER_00: But it's a comforting thing for his people.
SPEAKER_00: Omnipotence, divine omnipotence, should scare the daylights out of the unbeliever.
SPEAKER_00: But for the believer, it says, fear not.
SPEAKER_00: Fear not.
SPEAKER_00: How many irrational fears do we not have on an ongoing basis?
SPEAKER_00: People fear.
SPEAKER_00: People fear to the extent that they do not even want to leave their homes.
SPEAKER_00: The NIH says that up to 31% of Americans experience at some point in life some form of anxiety or panic or fear disorder, which leaves them incapacitated.
SPEAKER_00: There are no doubt many Christians who have an excessive fear about life in general.
SPEAKER_00: They lack peace, they lack joy, because they succumb to relentless fear, worry, and concern about just about everything.
SPEAKER_00: And yet, Jesus is greater and more powerful than anything we can fear.
SPEAKER_00: Think of your worst fear.
SPEAKER_00: Think of it for a moment.
SPEAKER_00: What's your worst fear?
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is bigger than that.
SPEAKER_00: He is all powerful.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's cool.
SPEAKER_00: You know, this is almost like a movie, right?
SPEAKER_00: It's like guys are shaking and they're fearing, and here comes Arnold Schwarzenegger in his good old days and punches.
SPEAKER_00: You know, Jesus is just powerful.
SPEAKER_00: And and no matter what the fear, he's bigger than that.
SPEAKER_00: We as Christians, we really need to think about anxiety, fear, and worry in terms of divine omnipotence.
SPEAKER_00: The fact that we are God's beloved people, we should not fear anything.
SPEAKER_00: First John 4 18 says, There is no fear in love, but perfect fear casts.
SPEAKER_00: Sorry.
SPEAKER_00: Perfect love casts out fear.
SPEAKER_00: We are perfectly loved by Christ.
SPEAKER_00: We ought not to fear.
SPEAKER_00: Romans 8, 15 says, for you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again.
SPEAKER_00: Why do we not fear anything?
SPEAKER_00: Look, if you fear something, just remember there's one who you have to fear, that is God.
SPEAKER_00: Because he is Almighty God, all powerful God, and yet Romans 8.15 says, we call him what?
SPEAKER_00: Abba Father.
SPEAKER_00: At this moment, back to the drama on the Sea of Galilee.
SPEAKER_00: The waves, the wind, the darkness, worn out.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I've not roaned for three or four miles.
SPEAKER_00: I don't think I've ever done that.
SPEAKER_00: But but when I'm at the rower there at the at the gym, that tires me.
SPEAKER_00: So these guys are tired, they worn out, and here comes Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And he tells them not to fear.
SPEAKER_00: That reminds us of Isaiah 41.10.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's what John had in mind.
SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 41.10.
SPEAKER_00: Do not fear, for I am is with you.
SPEAKER_00: Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
SPEAKER_00: I will strengthen you.
SPEAKER_00: Surely I will help you.
SPEAKER_00: Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
SPEAKER_00: The only reason why that boat did not sink was because he held that boat in his right hand.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is the all-powerful and almighty Pantocrator.
SPEAKER_00: And therefore, you, brothers and sisters, like the disciples, we should take comfort at that the omnipotent one, the all-powerful one, is with you.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, for a thousand tongues we sing.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrow cease, its music to the sinner's ears, its life and health and peace.
SPEAKER_00: If Christ is for us, nothing can be against us.
SPEAKER_00: So what have we learned this far?
SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, we've learned two things.
SPEAKER_00: Christ is omniscient, because he knows everything perfectly, he can intercede for us.
SPEAKER_00: Number two, he is omnipotent, and because he's all powerful, nothing can go against him, nothing can work him over.
SPEAKER_00: He is all-powerful, and therefore we can draw great comfort and calm from this.
SPEAKER_00: But here's one more thing I want to share with you.
SPEAKER_00: Hope we've got enough time.
SPEAKER_00: And this is the very fact that Christ is omnipresent.
SPEAKER_00: He is the very present help in all our trouble.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 21.
SPEAKER_00: And this is where our minds are going to be stretched a little bit, I hope.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 21, so they were willing to receive him into the boat.
SPEAKER_00: They were willing to receive him into the boat.
SPEAKER_00: And immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
SPEAKER_00: You think that's fast.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: Star Trek, warp speed.
SPEAKER_00: It's faster than warp speed.
SPEAKER_00: When the Mandalorian, what does he go through?
SPEAKER_00: Warp speed or who say that?
SPEAKER_00: Truly, you watching Mandalorian?
SPEAKER_00: I thought I heard you say that.
SPEAKER_00: But but the Mandalorian is fast.
SPEAKER_00: When he hits that button, this is faster than warp speed.
SPEAKER_00: It's like immediately.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, what is going on here?
SPEAKER_00: This is a spelling error?
SPEAKER_00: Think of how this could have played out.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples recognized Jesus, but now they freaked out.
SPEAKER_00: He says to them, don't freak out, I'm here.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I am.
SPEAKER_00: I am whom I am.
SPEAKER_00: They're comforted and they consoled, and they're like, oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00: And they invite them on the boat.
SPEAKER_00: Now, what John doesn't tell us here is that the sea was calm.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't tell us that.
SPEAKER_00: But what does he say to us?
SPEAKER_00: The boat gets in an instant where it was supposed to go.
SPEAKER_00: I think that is monumental.
SPEAKER_00: Because in Christ's omnipresence, he is able to rescue and redeem.
SPEAKER_00: For John, the greater miracle was probably not the calming of the sea or the wind in an instant.
SPEAKER_00: What was the greater miracle for John here was that Jesus rescued them and brought them home safely.
SPEAKER_00: He brought them to the village of comfort and grace.
SPEAKER_00: The NIV, I just thought, let's check another translation just in case I'm not reading this right.
SPEAKER_00: The NIV says, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
SPEAKER_00: So these are puzzling words.
SPEAKER_00: And whenever there's puzzling words in the Bible that stretches our intellectual abilities and our understanding of science and physics, all of a sudden, a lot of Bible commentators, there's crickets.
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I'm reading one Bible commentary after another, and it's like silence.
SPEAKER_00: It's like, why are you not explaining to me what happened here?
SPEAKER_00: Well, you gotta go to the old and the dead guys.
SPEAKER_00: So I went to this guy, uh John Gill.
SPEAKER_00: He was a predecessor to uh Charles Spurgeon.
SPEAKER_00: He was there before Spurgeon uh got to Spurgeon's church.
SPEAKER_00: And he says this.
SPEAKER_00: For not only the wind ceased, but another miracle was wrought.
SPEAKER_00: The ship was in an instant at a place whither they intended to go.
SPEAKER_00: God got them where they were supposed to go.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus got them where they were supposed to go.
SPEAKER_00: And it was not row, row, row your boat.
SPEAKER_00: It was warp speed, faster than you and I can say, bada bang, they were at their intended destination.
SPEAKER_00: This miracle, this particular miracle, obviously confounded John.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples and even the masses who were following Jesus, because we read, and I will tell you the next part of the story next week.
SPEAKER_00: But in verse 25, everybody is baffled as to how he got there.
SPEAKER_00: They like, you did not get in the boat.
SPEAKER_00: Did you take a jet ski over there?
SPEAKER_00: No, jet skis weren't invented yet.
SPEAKER_00: So you couldn't have jet skied over there.
SPEAKER_00: Everybody's confounded.
SPEAKER_00: How did he get there?
SPEAKER_00: What does this say?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is omnipresent.
SPEAKER_00: And I can't explain this.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00: He's omnipresent.
SPEAKER_00: I'll read to you what Arsis Prahl says.
SPEAKER_00: Just take it or leave it.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, what's happening here is what Jesus is not limited by geographical obstacle.
SPEAKER_00: He is not limited by the forces of nature.
SPEAKER_00: He is not bound by space and time.
SPEAKER_00: And he really is not bothered by the laws of physics.
SPEAKER_00: If these things could work against him, he could not rescue and redeem.
SPEAKER_00: He could have said, well, you know, you know, we died, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_00: I could not rescue you because the ways were so rough.
SPEAKER_00: I just couldn't get here in time.
SPEAKER_00: If Jesus says he can rescue us and redeem us, he needs to be able to get us out in the moment.
SPEAKER_00: Star Trek, be me up.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: If that's what it takes, that's what it's taking.
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna take.
SPEAKER_00: But let's see how R.C.
SPEAKER_00: Sprawl explains this.
SPEAKER_00: He says the person of Christ is still a perfect union of a divine nature and a human nature.
SPEAKER_00: The divine nature is not limited to the physical confines of the body of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: The divine nature retains its property of omniscience.
SPEAKER_00: The person of Christ can be everywhere.
SPEAKER_00: But that ability is through the power of the divine nature, not the human nature.
SPEAKER_00: You want me to read that again?
SPEAKER_00: It just says Jesus is omnipresent.
SPEAKER_00: The divine nature retains its property of omnipresence.
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't, yeah.
SPEAKER_00: I gotta stop here.
SPEAKER_00: I can't explain this, but they got to where they needed to be, and he got them there.
SPEAKER_00: Quick.
SPEAKER_00: I think this remarkable display of Christ's omnipresence reaches back to Psalm 46, very well-known Psalm, Psalm 46, 1.
SPEAKER_00: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in our trouble.
SPEAKER_00: He is here.
SPEAKER_00: He's here.
SPEAKER_00: He's there.
SPEAKER_00: He's out there.
SPEAKER_00: He is there where the people are being persecuted for their faith.
SPEAKER_00: He is there where people are just sleeping still.
SPEAKER_00: He is there.
SPEAKER_00: And he can rescue them any moment, any any any any opportunity, he can rescue because he can be there.
SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 43, 1 says, but now, thus says the Lord, your creator, O God.
SPEAKER_00: Creator, oh God.
SPEAKER_00: He says, And he who formed you, O Israel, do not fear, for I have redeemed you.
SPEAKER_00: I've called you by name.
SPEAKER_00: You are mine.
SPEAKER_00: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
SPEAKER_00: Really cool.
SPEAKER_00: He was there.
SPEAKER_00: He was there, and he got them out of the mess.
SPEAKER_00: I wondered if the boat landed like on the beach.
SPEAKER_00: I wondered if they just appeared in Caperna.
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, whoa, where did you guys come from?
SPEAKER_00: You know, I don't know.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, just let your imaginations go there for a moment.
SPEAKER_00: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
SPEAKER_00: The only one of Israel, your Savior.
SPEAKER_00: This idea that Jesus can be anywhere and God can be anywhere means that he can rescue us anywhere, anytime, any moment.
SPEAKER_00: He can redeem us.
SPEAKER_00: If he wasn't omnipresent, he can't say that.
SPEAKER_00: And so Jesus and his disciples were snatched from the Storm.
SPEAKER_00: Bada bing.
SPEAKER_00: And they appeared in the village of comfort and grace.
SPEAKER_00: Here's a lot here, my friends, and I don't want to elaborate too much on this, but the moment that they were willing to receive Jesus in the boat, the problems were over.
SPEAKER_00: And that word receive, I'm not sure if that's actually in the ESV.
SPEAKER_00: It says they welcomed him in the ESV.
SPEAKER_00: NESV says received.
SPEAKER_00: Very strong word, received.
SPEAKER_00: Receiving Jesus means to receive him in a relational way as Lord and Savior.
SPEAKER_00: John 1, 12.
SPEAKER_00: As many as received him, he gave the right to become children of God.
SPEAKER_00: Instant.
SPEAKER_00: You receive him, instant.
SPEAKER_00: He's there, he's with you.
SPEAKER_00: Lo, I'm with you.
SPEAKER_00: Even to those who believe in his name.
SPEAKER_00: So when they received him, there was an element of faith there when they received him.
SPEAKER_00: There's far more to this word spiritually, receive him, than meets the eye.
SPEAKER_00: But nevertheless, they received Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: They received him as Christus Pontucrator, but they also received him at some point as the one who would die on the cross and rise from the dead three days later.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus brought them home safely despite the storms of life.
SPEAKER_00: My friend, if you receive Jesus in the boat of your life, no matter how stormy it is, your boat may be ready to sink.
SPEAKER_00: Your solution is what?
SPEAKER_00: Receive Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: How many Christians, how many people I meet, they they're they're like, you gotta sink?
SPEAKER_00: You gotta sink.
SPEAKER_00: But they're not gonna receive Jesus in the boat of their lives.
SPEAKER_00: They would rather let the boat of their lives sink in their storms than receive Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because we want to be captain of our own boats.
SPEAKER_00: We don't want to have him at the helm.
SPEAKER_00: Here's a beautiful reminder of Jesus as the one who rescues.
SPEAKER_00: 2 Timothy 4.18.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed.
SPEAKER_00: He will rescue me from every evil deed.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because he's there.
SPEAKER_00: You call on him, he's ready to rescue.
SPEAKER_00: And he will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: Safely.
SPEAKER_00: To him be the glory forever and ever.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Let me say this to you.
SPEAKER_00: When things can get really, really bad, like really, really bad, Jesus can receive you in his kingdom quicker than you and I can say.
SPEAKER_00: Bada bing.
SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians 4, 17.
SPEAKER_00: And those alive will be caught up or snatched up with them to meet the Lord in the air, and we shall always be with him.
SPEAKER_00: The moment you close your eyes, if you receive Jesus, bada bing, you're safely home.
SPEAKER_00: Let's say you were alive and it's at this point in the in the end times, and we're alive and it's getting really, really bad.
SPEAKER_00: Bada bing! Hey, Jesus!
unknown: Whew!
SPEAKER_00: Am I glad to see you?
SPEAKER_00: He could snatch you up.
SPEAKER_00: If you could get the boat three miles across in an instant, he can get you in heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Instant.
SPEAKER_00: Whether you're alive or dead, he can't.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: He's Christos Pantocrator.
SPEAKER_00: So the winds of change and the storms of life, you're gonna break out at some point in your life, my friend.
SPEAKER_00: But think of Jesus as pantocrator.
SPEAKER_00: One, because he is omniscient.
SPEAKER_00: He is omniscient and he can intercede and mediate for you.
SPEAKER_00: Number two, because Christ is omnipotent, he can console and comfort you.
SPEAKER_00: And number three, because he's omnipresent, he can redeem and rescue you in an instant and bring you home safely to the village of comfort and grace.
SPEAKER_00: Let us ask God to bless these words from John's gospel.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm also going to pray that God will prepare our hearts as we gather here for the Lord's table in communion.
SPEAKER_00: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for these comforting words.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, you are so bigger, so much bigger than we think.
SPEAKER_00: You are not the infant.
SPEAKER_00: Sitting on his mother's lap.
SPEAKER_00: You are indeed Christos Pontocrator, you are El Shaddai, you are the great I am.
SPEAKER_00: Fear not, I am with you.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, help us to cast all our fears and worries upon you.
SPEAKER_00: Your yoke is light, you are gentle and lowly, and you desire for us to cast all our concerns upon you.
SPEAKER_00: And Lord, as we look to communion today, those elements of the cup and the bread, give us the memory of the day we were rescued, the moment we left the domain of darkness, and we were transferred in an instant into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to remember that and help us to remember how we look to the cross for our salvation and redemption.
SPEAKER_00: I pray this in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: That concludes this sermon from Faith Evangelical Free Church.
SPEAKER_01: Our mission is to declare the Word of God and disciple believers into mature, devoted followers of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: You can learn more by visiting our website at faithfree.com.