 So here we are. We're in chapter 4. I'm going to begin reading here at chapter 4 at verse 35. And I'll begin reading there and read to verse 41. And we'll be looking at a question. And we'll see that in just a moment. A Lord, do you not care? So beginning at verse 35, on the same day when evening had come, He said to them, Let us cross over to the other side. Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was, and other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern asleep on a pillow. They awoke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? Then He rose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased. There was a great calm. But He said to them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And they feared exceedingly and said to one another, Who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him? As we've been going through the gospel of Mark, we've seen that Mark is given to us several of the parables that Jesus had spoken to a multitude. As we went through this chapter, we saw how He gave the parable of the seed and the soils, the lamp on the lamp stand, the mysterious growth of the kingdom, and the parable of the mustard seed. And these parables were intended to separate the wheat from the chaff. You see, the chaff was not interested in what Jesus was teaching, and therefore would not pursue any understanding. What He had to say to them didn't connect. They were not open to it. They didn't have a desire to know those things. So the chaff was not interested in what He was teaching, and therefore wouldn't pursue to understand. But the wheat would listen carefully, because they desired to gain more understanding. It's like what it says in Psalm 107, verse 9, He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. And so Jesus had said that His followers were granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom. In other words, that God graciously gave to them understanding of the things that He was doing. And that was an act of grace. They were granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom. That's an act of grace as He was revealing to them things about the kingdom of God. On the other hand, to those who were outside of the kingdom, all things He said were going to come in parables. He said that they may see, but they won't perceive. They may hear, but they won't understand. So in this way, the interested would gain understanding. The uninterested would simply move on. It's like what it says in chapter 4, verse 25. Whoever has to him more will be given. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And so Jesus gave many parables, and in doing so He was exposing unbelief, the unbelief of many. Though the unbelievers didn't receive what He had to say, His followers did. And when He was alone with His disciples, according to verse 34, He would explain to them everything. And so this is what has taken place. And now, verse 35, on the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, let us cross over to the other side. So Jesus has been on the shore. He's been teaching, and according to chapter 4, verse 1, He's been speaking to a multitude, an immense group of people. There were so many that He had gotten into a boat, and the crowd had gathered around the shore to hear Him as He spoke. And as the long day came to an end, Jesus is now telling His men, it's time to leave. He's near the city of Capernaum, which if you were looking at a map, it's on the northern shore, north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee. And there He is near the city of Capernaum, and He's about to leave, and He's going to what would be the eastern shore of the lake. Now, He's been constantly ministering. We've seen that as we've been going through, Mark. He's ministering almost nonstop. He had a consuming desire to perform His Father's will to the very end, and that's what He was doing. It's like what it says in Hebrews 10, 7, then I said, behold, I've come in the volume of the book. It is written of Me to do Your will, O God. And that's exactly what Christ was doing. He was busy doing the will of His Father. And wherever He was, crowds would gather. His fame was spreading throughout the land. But He's ministered throughout the day. And even though He has, the day hasn't quite ended. It's time for Him to go. So He says, let us cross over to the other side. Now, they all need rest. The crowd is so great. So Jesus now wants to cross the lake. The other side of the lake is less populated. He could give His men an opportunity to rest. His desires to leave the area more than likely to continue ministering in other places. It's not just to get away from the pressure of the crowds. Jesus came to minister to people. And what He's doing here is He's teaching His disciples to do the same. He came to minister and to preach because people needed to hear His message. In Mark 1.38 He had said, let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also because for this purpose I have come forth. Well, in the training of the Twelve, part of their training would be to learn patience and to learn endurance. Because ministry is an ongoing thing and the disciples need to learn this. Ministry is intense labor. It includes long hours. In Hebrews 6 verse 10 it says that God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. It's long hours. It's a lot of labor, but it's not without reward. The Lord rewards those who serve Him. You see, sometimes His disciples become so tired that they want to simply get away from the crowds. In Mark 6 we'll see this when we get to chapter 6 in two years. In Mark 6 verses 35 and 36 it says, when the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, this is a deserted place and already the hour is late. Send them away that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread for they have nothing to eat. Send them away. We're tired. The crowd is so large. We need to rest. Well, Jesus needs to teach them that ministry is an ongoing thing. He has to teach them endurance and He has to teach them to have concern for other people. You know, sometimes people think that serving the Lord is like a regular job. It has set hours. And our being trained to be servants of God and servants of God don't necessarily have set hours. As we will later see, there's another reason why He needed to leave and we're going to examine that next time we're together. But He says to them, again in verse 35, let us cross over to the other side. Now verse 36, when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was and other little boats were also with Him. Jesus has been in this boat throughout the long day. In chapter 4 verse 1, that first tells us that Jesus got into a boat and He sat in it on the sea. So He's been there all day. The boats were probably owned by Peter and Andrew or James and John who were fishermen. These men had left their fishing business but they retained use of their boats and made it possible for them to make them available to Jesus whenever He needed them. So without leaving the boat, He now orders the disciples to set off for the other side. Now it says in verse 36, when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat. But there are other boats that were brought to accommodate those who were traveling with Him. At first, it's calm and they were sailing at a smooth and steady pace. Mosing His boat as well as the others in the small boats are at peace. More than likely, there's an excitement because they're accompanying Jesus Christ. Wherever Jesus was and the crowds would gather and those especially who had climbed into the other boats and were following Him, there would have been an excitement. Almost like a festival sense of joy. We're with the Lord and they're having a great time. The sailing across the Sea of Galilee, towards the eastern shore and there's a lot of joy and a lot of peace as they're doing so but the peace doesn't last long because in life, peace doesn't last long very often. Notice verse 37, a great windstorm arose, the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling. So they set out in calm they're going from the north, south to the east and as they're coming down, a great windstorm arises. In the cool of the evening, a sudden storm strikes. When it speaks of a great windstorm, that speaks of a violent gust of wind. It speaks of what is called a tempest. It's like a hurricane on the water. It's a violent shaking. It's so violent that it's beginning to shake even the water. Now Luke 8.23 says that the windstorm came down on the lake. That means the wind is rushing down from the slope on the western side and it's whippied up the waves. When you go to Israel, you'll be on the Sea of Galilee and you can see that it's a basin. You'll see that off to your west, there is a place called the Arbal and say it's a small sloping, not what we would call a mountain, but it's a large hillside and the air would come from the Mediterranean it would meet the cool air coming from Mount Hebron or sometimes the warm air that's coming out of the desert but the winds would connect and as they began to connect the cold and the warm together would create windstorms that happens to this day and so that's what's taking place and the waves are crashing on the boat and the boat is beginning to fill with water. It's like I said a hurricane on the water it's violently shaking the boat, it's filling it. But notice verse 38, while all of this is taking place he was in the stern asleep on a pillow. He was exhausted, he administered all day, he's now asleep, the howling of the wind, the rocking of the boat, the water pouring in, didn't wake him up. He was lying on a wooden floor, he had a thin cushion cradling his head and he's sound asleep. Nothing going on around him was able to wake him up. Nothing could disturb him and with all the commotion around him and the fear that filled him they looked at him and they say he's asleep. So immediately they begin to cry out to him and they know that their lives are in danger. These men had lived all their lives near the sea. They knew that nature was not something they could control. Everything was out of control. Nothing was in their power and they are fully convinced that they're going to die and they're right in front of them is a miracle worker that they have come to believe in. Jesus had already performed many miracles, many supernatural works before them. He turned water into wine, he cast out demons, he cleansed lepers, he healed the paralyzed, he healed a man with a withered hand and others with severe afflictions. He even had given them authority to perform amazing works themselves. In Mark 3.15 he gave them power to heal sicknesses to cast out demons. Matthew tells us in chapter 8 verse 24 that the boat was covered with waves. It says in chapter 4 verse 37 here that the waves beat into the boat so it was already filling and in Luke 8.23 they were filling with water and were in great danger. So all of this is taking place. Everything they know about the sea, everything they know about the windstorms, everything they know about what can take place is taking place. There's nothing to be excluded. These are people who grew up near the water. These are people who have a business on the water. They know what's happening. They're going to die. We're about to perish. There's nothing we can do. Where's our miracle worker? Where's the one who walks on water? Where's the one who can do those things that we have come to know and to believe in? Where is he? And then they find him. There he is just laying there asleep. But there's a cradle on a pillow and it amazes him that he's not doing anything. And that's why in verse 38 they woke him and said to him, while he slept peacefully, noticed the reaction of his men. They were terrified. These experienced fishermen were certain there was nothing that can be done. In Matthew chapter 8 verse 25, it says, his disciples came to him and awoke him saying, Lord, save us. We're perishing. They were thinking that they were about to meet their maker. But they had forgotten they already had. And so they say in verse 38, now here's something I want to build on. Teacher, don't you care that we perish? Matthew used the word Lord and Mark called him teacher and that's because he's both. They were sure that they were about to die and there he was asleep. In the midst of their chaos he seems to be selfishly taking care of his own needs. They're in the darkness with noise of wind. Waves and water are soaking them. The boat is beginning to fill with water. These sailors know they're in danger and they don't know what to do. And so they say to him, basically wake up. Find a way to help us. With a bit of disrespect his disciples feel pushed to wake him up. Why are you sleeping while we're in danger? We're perishing. By this time they should have been fully aware of his love for them. But they ask a question. Don't you care that we perish? I want to develop that for just a moment with you because that's a question that people of faith will ask of the Lord. It isn't necessarily a question that those who don't have a relationship with him would ask. It's not necessarily an unbeliever's question. Unbelievers don't rest their entire faith and hope on God because unbelievers don't know him. The most unbelievers can do is question the goodness of God. If there is one. They're more prone to saying, well if God is good, why doesn't he help me? Now that's more an attack on the existence of God than a question of the goodness of God. Their question is more why is God silent when I cry out to him? And their answer is, well he doesn't exist or he simply doesn't care about people like me. But on the other hand believers have tasted and seen the goodness of God. God has shown himself in personal ways to those who know and trust him. We believe in him. When something threatens our life or our dreams, we can immediately begin to question why? Why are you allowing this? Why don't you help me? You see me in danger. But it seems to me that you simply don't care. You see me. I gave my life to you. I asked you to forgive me. I trusted you. Everything that matters to me, you're aware of. I've cried you in silence. When it's just you and me in my room, I've let you know how I feel. I've told you my plans. I've asked you to show me your ways so I can make sure my plans are according to your ways. I gave up all my friends. I gave up all the things I used to do. I stopped doing the things that I knew you weren't pleased with. Somewhere I have come to believe that you kind of owe me because I gave up so much. We can do that. Not everybody does, but some do. Some do. You know the thing that would hurt me most and you allowed it to come into my life? Why did you do that? I thought you loved me. I thought you cared about me. It doesn't seem that you love me. It seems like you don't. When I need you the most, you abandon me. You've left me here alone by myself with no help of any sort. God, where are you? Don't you care? God, don't you care? I mean, I read your Bible. Your Bible tells me God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. I've always included myself in that scripture. God so loved the world that includes me. I'm part of the world. God loves me. It was hard for me to understand that. Yet your Word tells me you demonstrated your love toward me and that while I was yet a sinner you sent your son Jesus Christ to die for me. Jesus, you said you loved me. You said that in your Word. I believed you, but here I am in the midst of all this pain, all this suffering, all this fear, all of this that is called life and it seems like you're asleep at the will. Where are you? Anybody ever ask that question? If you haven't, you will. I'm sorry, but you will. Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Where are you? I'm by myself. I've left everything. I've lost everything. I yielded everything. And now the boat that I'm in is filling with water. It's going to sink. And I'm busy trying to bail the water out. I'm busy trying to survive all of the storms that this life has brought upon me. Then I look and it seems like you don't care. And that's why they're saying that. We're about to die. We're in great danger. It appears to me that you're not aware of my circumstances. You're the one that I know can do these things. I've seen you do these things. You even gave me power to do things. You have power over everything and yet you're not showing any concern for me. The Psalmist in Psalm 10 verse 1 said, Why do you stand afar, oh Lord? Why do you hide in time of trouble? Psalm 13 verse 1, How long, oh Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Psalm 44, 23, and 24 awake. Why do you sleep, oh God, arise? Do not cast us off forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our affliction and our oppression, Lord? Where are you in my time of need? Where are you when I'm in such pain? Well, the fact is we all go through various things and none of us are exempt from hard times. Life is just that. It's life. Things happen to the good just as well as they happen to the evil. We build our lives and we can build our lives on sinking sand or we can build our lives on a rock but storms still come. They still come. The difference is that the life that's built on the sinking sand, well, the sand just dissolves. But those of us who have built our lives on a rock, we're going to stand. But the storm still comes. Don't forget that. Sometimes we believers may think that we're to be exempt from the afflictions and pains and sufferings of just life and that's not true. That's not true. We haven't been exempted from those things. We still go through those things. We still go through pain. We still have suffering. We still have illnesses. We still go through things. And then sometimes when you're at your lowest you might do exactly what these men are doing. God, don't you care. Lord, we're perishing. We're not exempted from hard times. In John 1633, these things I've spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. When we go through things these things that we will endure are intended to draw us near to Him. Because when we draw near to Him we learn that He's never left us nor forsaken us. As we're going through Him sometimes we think that these things are going to last forever. But they don't. They do come to an end. And then sometimes at the end we say I wish I had known this all along and the Lord could easily say to us, but you did. You did. You just chose to ignore what you knew. I told you I would never leave you. I told you I would never forsake you. I told you I'd be with you always. To the end of the age I told you that. You just didn't believe me. And now that you've come through this you understand that I draw near to you I draw near to me. I believe it is in times of fear that we are compelled to draw near to God seeking for help. What am I going to do? How can I survive? I'm paralyzed by my fear. I feel like I've been placed in a box. In our fear and our frustration we call on Him because we need Him to save us from perishing. The book of James in chapter 4 verse 8 basically says draw near to God. He will draw near to you. It's interesting how the question is do you not care that we are perishing? I want you to see this. As is typical in times like this the question is actually asked in the plural. We are perishing. I'm not the only one dying. There are others who are also afraid. I simply represent them. It's not just me. It's others. So what does He do? How does He respond? All the disciples are about to learn a tremendous lesson. The lesson that God is aware of their every need. The lesson that God does not leave them nor does He forsake them. Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33. Call unto me. I will answer you. Call unto me. I will answer you. And I will show you great mighty things. Things that you don't understand now but you'll come to understand later. And so that's what's about to happen. They're about to learn something that we all the church need to learn. Now notice what happens in verse 39. It says he arose and rebuked the wind said to the sea, shut up! That's what that word PSV still means. That's the literal. That's the Greek language. True. You can write that down. Be muscled. It's literally shut up. Be at peace. Be under control. It's what you say to your kids sometimes. You know it. Peace, be still. Don't you wish that they would respond the way the wind did? The wind ceased and there was a great calm. Now think about that for just a moment. He arose, he rebuked the wind. So he heard their cry and he immediately responded to it. Like it says in Psalm 18 verse 6 in my distress I called upon the Lord cried out to my God. He heard my voice from his temple. My cry came before him even to his ears. And notice what he does. He arose and he rebuked the wind and he said to the sea peace, be still. So he admonished the wind. He told the sea be silent. Be muscled. Calm down. In Psalm 18 verse 39 immediately the wind ceased and there was a great calm. So Jesus reveals to us that we worship a God who acts on our behalf. He is not distant from us. He is personal, alive. He helps us and delivers us in our times of trouble. Jesus is the master over creation. He speaks a word and nature responds. Psalm 89 verse 9 says you rule the raging of the sea when its waves rise you still them. In Psalm 107 29 and 30 he calms the storm so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet. So he guides them to their desired haven. And so he gets up and he immediately responds and he says muscled. Be still. Shut up. That's it. Calm down. And when that takes place you gotta I mean imagine what that would be like. Just put yourself in their position for a moment. The waters in the boat they're still wet from the waves that have been crashing in the boat and soaking them. Their heart is still pounding with fear. There's still all of this anxiety those small boats surrounding them have all gone through the same kind of thing and suddenly it is absolutely calm and still absolutely stone quiet. And from one amazing so loud that would have been startling in and of itself. And so as this takes place notice what happens verse 40 he said to them why are you so fearful? Oh my goodness. How is it that you have no faith? Why am I so fearful? Look at me right now. My hair is all messed up. My clothes are soaked. I've lived my entire lifetime around this lake. I've known people who died in storms like this. Why am I so fearful? Because I'm a human being and I'm prone to fear because I really haven't understood who you are yet. It's interesting when he says to them and you might find this interesting in verse 40 fearful, that word fearful is a word that you can translate cowardly. Interesting. Why are you so timid? Now man you asked me a question a moment ago and you can almost see them just kind of stunned. Now allow me to ask you one why are you so fearful? Why are you so faithless? Well at first we might not understand why it seems that he's so confrontational. But here's your answer to that. Why would you ask a question like that, Lord? And why would you grill them that way? Why did you ask them that question? Of all questions you could have asked why did you choose to say that? Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Is it that possible that you would feel that that's a question that can be justified with all the circumstances surrounding them? Well the answer is right before us. In reality Jesus had sent them into the storm. He sent them into it. Now why would he do that? Storms in times of uncertainty are used by the Lord to teach us what trust really is. Every person who trusts in the Lord goes through storms that test them in every way. And the obvious application is simple. God wants to change our fear into faith. And he does this by allowing us to go where our faith is tested that it might be strengthened. As we experience a trial of our faith, our faith is purified. And our faith is actually strengthened. Our faith is refined by the things that we go through. In 1 Peter 1 verse 7 it's that these trials will show that your faith is genuine. It's being tested as fire test and purifies gold. Though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong in many trials it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. The Lord purifies our faith through the trials we endure. I say that I believe you Lord and then I go through something that actually shows the weaknesses of my faith reveals those things so I can confess those things forsake those things and be strengthened in my relationship to Him. Trials in many ways are those stress tests. You bought a car, most of us have cars you have a car and the cars goes through stress tests. You have an engine, the engine is built in such a way. They are built and they have to endure certain stress tests. Extreme conditions, extreme conditions to find their place of how far they can go. That's how they refine that, that's how they build it that's how the engine becomes what it is. That's what the Lord allows into our lives and it's not like you woke up this morning saying God give me some trials I really love them. It's not that maybe you did. I'll talk to you later. But somewhere in your life perhaps as a believer you may have said to Him Lord make me like you somewhere or something like that Lord I want to be stronger I want to learn to love I want to be care about people whatever your prayer may be whatever that certain thing in your life that you know is lacking in and you need refining in and then it seems that things begin to go in direction that actually are the opposite of what you ask the Lord for and it can be difficult and you say why Lord why are you allowing these things into my life and it would be He's answering your prayer and so you stop praying for those things don't you? No you don't you just say oh now I get it now I get it Lord I've asked you to help me to learn to care about people and then in my job site there are difficult people that I have such a hard time with and now I'm realizing that you're refining me through the people that you allow into my path and it's very simple but that's how it works and the Lord begins to just refine your faith and that happens it happens to all of us and as I was thinking about this I thought you know I didn't know whether I should bring this up today simply because it's something that deserves a lot more attention than I'm going to give to it but I put it in my notes and I'll share a little bit with you what I thought I might want to share but I haven't really clarified a lot of this in my own heart so please bear with me it is something I think it's important to share at least at this point and hopefully it'll it'll make some sense as I go through this and I'll just begin looking at my notes and and read many Americans are undergoing a time of great anxiety right now even fear right now daily we are being bombarded by statements from our news sources that cause even believers to have anxiety this pressure to receive COVID vaccines is dividing the nation now of course as it relates to vaccines and all such a decision should be made in consultation with our personal doctors it's a choice that each person should be free to make for themselves I don't believe that you should be mandated to take care of yourself I think you're big enough to do that don't you big enough to do that on your own I don't think the government needs to tell me when I need to take a shot well that's quite obvious to all of us that's a choice each person should be free to make for themselves what is interesting is how people are responding to this virus and vaccines many are living in anxiety that's just a very difficult way to live and many are living in fear including Christians now of course those who have preexisting conditions need to be cautious there is no need to presume upon the grace of God there's no need to put God to the test and I don't encourage anybody to do that yet at the same time and I'll give you one thing I looked up with the CDC according to the CDC there have been 45 million 655,000 635 reported cases of COVID out of that number there have been 730,368 COVID deaths which represents 0.016 0.016 there is a chance of dying of the virus of course we know that but the odds are extremely small so when it comes to receiving a vaccine such an act can be wise depending on your choice once again because I'm not advocating for or against vaccines it's a personal choice but according to the CDC the Centers for Disease Control this came out on the 22nd of this month in August of 2021 21% admitted to hospitals with COVID were fully vaccinated the proportion of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who are fully vaccinated is expected to increase as more people get vaccinated even though these vaccines are highly effective against hospitalization and death why did I bring that up to make people feel bad? No I brought that up because many Christians are living in fear over this my wife and I are in the age group that is vulnerable to the greatest impact without presumption without anything other than just making decisions for ourselves what we chose to do is to trust the Lord and I know that sounds so simplistic and I wish I could make it deeper show you more what I'm trying to say I can choose fear and I can choose to trust the Lord I don't presume on the grace of God but I'm not hiding in my house wearing three masks either and I'm not driving through the neighborhoods wearing masks and plastic bags over my body and I've seen people doing that and I've had Christians mad at me for saying this I'm not afraid to say this by the way get mad if you want but the bottom line is I chose to trust the Lord and to be wise in the way I live and I encourage you to do the same I'm not and forgive me if it sounds I've had people crying telling me you made me feel bad I'm not trying to make you feel bad John no I'm not trying to make you feel bad I'm not I'm trying to pastor you and I'm saying that you can put your faith in whatever you do I have put my faith in God not to presume not to presume I'm not running around kissing everybody with COVID the wife had it my wife and I have had it I'm in that vulnerable group you know that's the group that is is they're really pushing you need to get this and now they're trying to have our children which is the lowest group of all that should be getting and that's a different subject I'm just saying this why do you fear well don't you know that we're perishing why do you fear be wise I try to be wise I lock my doors at night so do you if you don't give me your address I put on a seat belt why am I afraid I'm going to die in a car crash I may I may not I do it because I'm mandated to who and but it's just wise there are things you do that are just wise they're wise to do so if in your case you know your own health make your choices may your conscience be clean as you do so God bless you it just bothers me when I'm being told that I have to do this is best for me at that point I draw a line and say now wait a minute and I'm a big boy I can make decisions for myself and oh here we go and President Biden I don't care if you're losing patience you won't even remember you don't have patience in a day so don't do that to me don't do that to me we need to make decisions based on what is right but please do not get mad for not agreeing with you because I get the letters I don't care I don't read them but I do you know you're this and you're that and you don't care you don't even know me how can you tell me that why would I care about somebody's opinion and I don't even know that person I'm going to cancel you okay go ahead here just cancel me I don't care I don't need your garbage anyway this is the first service I'm being real second I'll be nicer you know it's just we need and again and again I know how this can sound that's why I hesitated to share I know it can sound like I don't care I do and I do and I and I think that you need to if you need to wear a mask hey I don't I'm with you I'm with you I have no negative about that at all I think we get a little kind of carried away some do but you have your own reasons for believing what you believe me I just I just read the statistics you know and I say you know chances are I'm not presuming on anything I'm just I already had it and I have my antibodies and I'm fine but please don't be here's where my heart is and if anything's offended you I really am sincere when I say please I don't intend to what I'm trying to say is Jesus asks the question why are you so fearful why and the church needs to have needs to give an answer to that why why am I so fearful why what is it in my heart listen in Isaiah 41 10 fear not I am with you be not dismayed I am your God I will strengthen you yes I will help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand in John 14 27 peace I leave with you my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give to you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid let not that's that's volitional I can make a choice to let my heart be troubled and I can make a choice to be afraid or I can cast my cares on him because he cares for me so I I am casting my cares on him and again that doesn't mean that I as a man and as a Christian that doesn't mean that there aren't things that concern me but at the end of the day I have to cast those things on him and I read my Bible I see Moses leading the children of Israel as they're coming to the red sea behind them is the Egyptian army before them is the red sea they don't know what they're going to do here come the chariots of the Egyptians and what does Moses say oh my God we're dead meat no he says stand still and see that your God is going to deliver you that's what he says stand still see the deliverance of your God trust in your Lord David sees a giant King David before he's King David sees a Goliath before him does he say oh my goodness that guy's four feet taller than I am four and a half feet taller than me that man is a giant feet nine and David was probably five four to five six that's how big he was and does he see a giant no he sees his God and that's how it works Elijah's with Elisha and there's there are soldiers surrounding them they've been sent to take them and to bring them to the King and Elisha is afraid and God and Elijah says God open his eyes that he may see and he sees the Lord's fiery chariots there are more with us and that are against us and these are stories you find in Scripture these things happened and so I'm just saying that Jesus is asleep because he's tired his men don't you care that's the wrong question you can ask of God don't you care look at my hands and look at my feet look at my side you say I don't care I gave my life for you Jesus could say and you ask me whether I care maybe you need to look at Jesus a little closer because what else can he do other than what he's already done and for me this is me not for you for me I close my eyes here I open them up there that's what my whole life is for so if I went home with COVID because I had it it's just a ticket to heaven for me and I will see the one who who gave his life up for me that's what my whole life is about so why am I afraid to see him I'm not now again that may not make sense and I know it doesn't because I haven't I'm wrestling with this even as I'm sharing I'm simply trying to tell you that as a church as the church we have a God who delivers us we have a God who never leaves us nor forsakes us we have a God who is able so let's trust him let's hold fast to him and let's let's serve him and let us not ask him don't you care because that's what his men are doing here don't you care and Jesus has to deal with that why was he so confrontational why did he question their faith well let me show you why as we roll to a conclusion the answer is found in verse 35 let me read it to you again on the same day when evening had come he said to them let us cross over to the other side he had said let us cross over to the other side in other words he intended to make it through the entire journey and they would too as long as they were with him they were perfectly safe and that's why he could sleep he was going to make it to the other side he was aware there's going to be a storm he was going to make it and so were they because he was with them and as long as he's with them they have no need to fear in Matthew 28 20 I am with you always to the very end of the age he was 13 5 never will I leave you never will I forsake you Joshua 1 9 have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not be afraid do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go what is true there is true now as you walk out again I don't I hope I didn't offend any by sharing carefully second service I'll be able to refine it to be more pure as what I'm trying to say but what you come to church for I would hope is get a little bit of a boost in your walk with God a little bit of a boost in your faith for Jesus and I want you to know he is with you he doesn't forsake you every step of the way you're never alone and even when it appears that he may not care he always cares he's already shown us how deeply he does care what we need to do is just believe him and that's why he could say why are you so afraid I'm with you I haven't left you why are you so afraid and that's a good question the church needs to answer and what happens well notice we'll close verse 41 they feared exceedingly and said to one another who can this be that even the wind in the sea obey him and God a glimpse of God in a way that we didn't even realize who is he notice that it says they feared exceedingly and once again they're afraid but this time it is a holy fear who is this man well he's the Lord of the earth he's the Lord of the sea the psalmist said in psalm 89 verses 8 and 9 oh Lord God of hosts who is mighty like you oh Lord your faithfulness also surrounds you you rule the seas when its waves rise you still them with Jesus in the midst they had nothing to fear and with Jesus in the midst they will never have anything to fear the psalmist in psalm 4 verse 8 says I will both lie down in peace and sleep for you alone oh Lord make me dwell in safety and when the day comes when you call me home it'll all have been worth it every single thing we went through every single trial every lesson I had to learn because when you got saved when I got saved I began to pray the same prayer over and over again one former another not repeating the same one but the same sentiment Lord make me like you fill my heart with you fill my heart with with love for you may I be a vessel for you may I trust you for the 50 years that I've walked with the Lord I can tell you He has never let me down He's never left me alone I've gone through things that I didn't choose for myself I've gone through emotional pains that I never thought I could endure and that's the truth and I'll never share obviously with you what those things may be you're not interested and I don't want to but I can tell you pain has been my friend for a long time in one form or another and I have learned that going through things shaped me to be the person He wants me to be and that's how it works in the kingdom of God make me like you Lord make me like you you are a servant make me one too and He does fear not for I am with you I will never leave you nor forsake you our God I hope that makes sense Father we would ask that you would