Get Out of the Boat!

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rowing”.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

2. He Comes In The Face Of Darkness
The Bible says that Jesus came to them in “the fourth watch”. Sometime between 3 AM and 6 AM, during the darkest hours of the night, Jesus came walking on the water!

Let me remind you that even in the darkest hours of life God is still God and He is still in control of your life.

Psalm 139: 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Even the darkest hours of life cannot hide you from the face of God. He is there even when you cannot see Him.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

Mark 6:48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

The incident of Jesus walking on the water is in the middle of “the bread of life” passage. There the application of the “the bread of life” (John 6:22-71). John 6 was given to reveal to the disciples the divine sovereignty of Jesus Christ. It was to show them that he was truly God, but they had missed the point (cf. Mark 6:52). Therefore, Jesus’ walk on the water was to manifest His deity.

The phrase “would have passed by them” finds its roots in Old Testament passages such as Exodus 33:19, 22 and 1 Kings 19:11 In those two sections of Scripture God revealed Himself as God to Moses and Elijah by “passing by.” that’s what Christ is doing here.

Exodus 33: 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
But He does offer this encouragement:
“It is I, be not afraid”

Confirming this self-revelation are the words the Lord spoke as He passed by “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
Admittedly , the words “Be of good cheer” might not do much for you if they have been spoken by a ghost, but “it is I” is another matter. “It is I” is another way of saying “I am.”
They didn’t recognize Jesus when He came to them.
It is not like they haven’t seen Him in a while. They had just spent time with him and a full day has not passed. He comes walking toward them and they are frightened.
But isn’t that just like us. We don’t see Jesus in our storms? Why?
We are so caught into what we are going through that we don’t recognize when God shows up.

The disciples couldn’t see Jesus due to the fact that their attention was on the storm that was around them.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Jesus comes toward the ship ... next page »