Finding Courage and Peace in Christ's Presence
Devotional
Sermon Summary
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"Gracious and mighty God, as we gather in your presence this morning, we lift our eyes to you, the one who walks upon the waves and calms the storm. Just as Jesus came to his disciples in their distress, reminding them to take heart and not be afraid, we come before you this morning seeking the peace and assurance that only you can give. Father, we pray that you would open our hearts to receive your word, that you would strengthen our faith and lead us in worship that magnifies your glory. Father, may we be ever aware of your presence among us, for it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen." [00:04:00]
"Heavenly Father, you desire us to love you, our eternal King, with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. And this love is shown by remembering you at all times, cultivating thankfulness for your many blessings to us, trusting your good providence to meet our needs, and by loving all whose lives intersect our own. By choosing to serve rather than to be served, to be wounded rather than to wound, and by bearing patiently with the failings of others, extending the same love that we have for you, and by offering kindness, mercy, and compassion that you in Christ Jesus have so graciously offered unto us." [00:17:48]
"Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them. And he saw that they were walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified." [00:32:27]
"But immediately he spoke to them and said, Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased, and they were utterly astounded. For they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might even touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well." [00:33:24]
"As the men had left the camp to prepare for this battle, Washington stayed behind, because he had contracted dysentery, and so he was recouping even as the soldiers marched toward the Monongahela River. And in time, though he was still a little bit ill, Washington would rejoin the British forces. But the French forces ended up ambushing General Braddock and his men, and the British Army lost two-thirds of their men, and the general himself was wounded. And so that left Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage to take command, and Washington, still being sick, formed a rear guard behind the troops." [00:35:25]
"And during battle for Washington, it didn't really seem to go too well. For in this battle, two horses were shot out from under him, and he had several boys and two girls. He had four bullet holes in his coat and hat. Yet he conquered death on the battlefield that day. And he later wrote a letter to his brother, John, when he said this, by the all-powerful dispensations of providence, I've been protected beyond all human probability or expectation. For I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was near. Death was leveling my companions on every side of me." [00:35:57]
"In him you can find courage while uprooted, uncertain, and unwell. Courage in Christ, while uprooted, is in verses 45 through 48 of our passage. As everyone seems to be uprooted from this scene of a miracle. As immediately they seek to leave this desolate place, this wilderness to which they had gone, and to where Jesus had fed the 5,000 with the loaves and the fish. Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go across the sea. He forced them to go to the sea. To go across to Bethsaida, which was near Capernaum. Which you might recall as the former home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip." [00:37:23]
"Jesus knew that a turning point had arrived in his ministry. That at this point, through the uprising of the people, Satan tried once again to get Christ to bypass the cross. As Satan had tempted him earlier on the top of the mountain showing him all of the land and the kingdoms that he could have if he would only bow down and worship Satan. And even here as the crowd tried to force Jesus to become their king in this way. But Christ would not let that happen. Instead he goes up to this secluded place on the mountain to pray, to be in fellowship with his father." [00:40:21]
"That just because it may be difficult, though there may be roadblocks in the way, hoops you have to jump through, it doesn't mean that it's just not a part of God's will for your life, because it's so difficult. If you look in these verses you see that the disciples obedience to Christ is what made them uncomfortable that Jesus made them go out to the sea and as they rode and rode and rode the wind started to hit them they started to get uncomfortable and distressed submitting to Christ can involve a variety of sorrows and trials because being in God's will does not always make you immune to difficulties and it can involve moments of testing in your life for the purposes of perfecting your faith and for the appreciation of God's power even while you know that there's nothing that you yourself can do and so when you face uprooted moments in your life you can find comfort in your life and you can find courage in Jesus Christ and even now knowing as I mentioned earlier that he's continually interceding for you he's praying for you at the father's right hand even now this can be an everlasting comfort for your soul if you would but trust in him." [00:46:26]
"And Jesus is focusing on his disciples obedience toward him and he came to them and he came to them as he saw them growing weaker and weaker call center difficulty for it's a truth that for it's a truth that Christ will always come at the right promise course time to uphold his people. It may not be the time that we would expect to be right, but it's the time that is right in the will of God. He comes to us in those moments when we've just exhausted ourselves, when there's nothing left that we can do, and we find ourselves in this deep despair so that we have no other choice but depend upon him." [00:48:34]
"You see, the very waves that were distressing them and the wind that was troubling them became a path for Christ's feet. As I mentioned in the children's sermon, he not only sees the struggle that you and I are going through or his disciples are going through, but he enters into that struggle with us. And often this illustration of the disciples upon the sea is mainly used as an illustration of the church and the struggles that she faces throughout history and even now. Matthew Henry hinted at this illustration by saying this, the preaching of the gospel is like being sent out to sea with wind in your teeth." [00:49:20]
"The antidote against the fears that we have, the dread that we face, is in Jesus Christ alone. For he is the one who assures us with his word and his presence. His word, who he is, that he is fully God, that he is fully man together. And he assures us with his presence, with what he does, that he has power in our struggles. That while we cannot solve our struggles on our own, that he can calm the storms of our lives. That as Psalm 93 verses 3 and 4 say, that the floods have lifted up their voices, but mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty." [00:54:23]
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"Heavenly Father, you desire us to love you, our eternal King, with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. And this love is shown by remembering you at all times, cultivating thankfulness for your many blessings to us, trusting your good providence to meet our needs, and by loving all whose lives intersect our own. By choosing to serve rather than to be served, to be wounded rather than to wound, and by bearing patiently with the failings of others, extending the same love that we have for you, and by offering kindness, mercy, and compassion that you in Christ Jesus have so graciously offered unto us." [00:17:48]
"Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them. And he saw that they were walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified." [00:32:27]
"But immediately he spoke to them and said, Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased, and they were utterly astounded. For they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might even touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well." [00:33:24]
"As the men had left the camp to prepare for this battle, Washington stayed behind, because he had contracted dysentery, and so he was recouping even as the soldiers marched toward the Monongahela River. And in time, though he was still a little bit ill, Washington would rejoin the British forces. But the French forces ended up ambushing General Braddock and his men, and the British Army lost two-thirds of their men, and the general himself was wounded. And so that left Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage to take command, and Washington, still being sick, formed a rear guard behind the troops." [00:35:25]
"And during battle for Washington, it didn't really seem to go too well. For in this battle, two horses were shot out from under him, and he had several boys and two girls. He had four bullet holes in his coat and hat. Yet he conquered death on the battlefield that day. And he later wrote a letter to his brother, John, when he said this, by the all-powerful dispensations of providence, I've been protected beyond all human probability or expectation. For I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was near. Death was leveling my companions on every side of me." [00:35:57]
"In him you can find courage while uprooted, uncertain, and unwell. Courage in Christ, while uprooted, is in verses 45 through 48 of our passage. As everyone seems to be uprooted from this scene of a miracle. As immediately they seek to leave this desolate place, this wilderness to which they had gone, and to where Jesus had fed the 5,000 with the loaves and the fish. Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go across the sea. He forced them to go to the sea. To go across to Bethsaida, which was near Capernaum. Which you might recall as the former home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip." [00:37:23]
"Jesus knew that a turning point had arrived in his ministry. That at this point, through the uprising of the people, Satan tried once again to get Christ to bypass the cross. As Satan had tempted him earlier on the top of the mountain showing him all of the land and the kingdoms that he could have if he would only bow down and worship Satan. And even here as the crowd tried to force Jesus to become their king in this way. But Christ would not let that happen. Instead he goes up to this secluded place on the mountain to pray, to be in fellowship with his father." [00:40:21]
"That just because it may be difficult, though there may be roadblocks in the way, hoops you have to jump through, it doesn't mean that it's just not a part of God's will for your life, because it's so difficult. If you look in these verses you see that the disciples obedience to Christ is what made them uncomfortable that Jesus made them go out to the sea and as they rode and rode and rode the wind started to hit them they started to get uncomfortable and distressed submitting to Christ can involve a variety of sorrows and trials because being in God's will does not always make you immune to difficulties and it can involve moments of testing in your life for the purposes of perfecting your faith and for the appreciation of God's power even while you know that there's nothing that you yourself can do and so when you face uprooted moments in your life you can find comfort in your life and you can find courage in Jesus Christ and even now knowing as I mentioned earlier that he's continually interceding for you he's praying for you at the father's right hand even now this can be an everlasting comfort for your soul if you would but trust in him." [00:46:26]
"And Jesus is focusing on his disciples obedience toward him and he came to them and he came to them as he saw them growing weaker and weaker call center difficulty for it's a truth that for it's a truth that Christ will always come at the right promise course time to uphold his people. It may not be the time that we would expect to be right, but it's the time that is right in the will of God. He comes to us in those moments when we've just exhausted ourselves, when there's nothing left that we can do, and we find ourselves in this deep despair so that we have no other choice but depend upon him." [00:48:34]
"You see, the very waves that were distressing them and the wind that was troubling them became a path for Christ's feet. As I mentioned in the children's sermon, he not only sees the struggle that you and I are going through or his disciples are going through, but he enters into that struggle with us. And often this illustration of the disciples upon the sea is mainly used as an illustration of the church and the struggles that she faces throughout history and even now. Matthew Henry hinted at this illustration by saying this, the preaching of the gospel is like being sent out to sea with wind in your teeth." [00:49:20]
"The antidote against the fears that we have, the dread that we face, is in Jesus Christ alone. For he is the one who assures us with his word and his presence. His word, who he is, that he is fully God, that he is fully man together. And he assures us with his presence, with what he does, that he has power in our struggles. That while we cannot solve our struggles on our own, that he can calm the storms of our lives. That as Psalm 93 verses 3 and 4 say, that the floods have lifted up their voices, but mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty." [00:54:23]
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