September 5, 2025 • 16 mins
We dive into Mark chapter 6, exploring multiple stories that all point to a singular truth: keeping our focus on Jesus brings success in both good times and difficult seasons.
• Jesus faces rejection in His hometown of Nazareth due to their unbelief
• The disciples are sent out two by two with minimal provisions, teaching them dependence on God
• John the Baptist's tragic beheading by King Herod shows the cost of standing for truth
• Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000+ people with just five loaves and two fish
• Jesus walks on water during a storm to rescue the disciples
• Peter's water-walking experience is notably absent from Mark's account, possibly demonstrating Peter's maturity in keeping focus on Jesus rather than himself
• The key lesson: focusing on Jesus doesn't mean denying life's storms but denying their power to determine our focus
The presence of a storm is not the absence of God. Sometimes, it's the presence of the storm that helps us find where God is. If you're going through a difficult season, remember to keep your focus on Jesus rather than on the challenges surrounding you.
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello everybody .
Welcome back to the BibleBreakdown Podcast with your host
, pastor Brandon.
Today, mark, chapter 6, andtoday's title is Focus on Jesus.
Focus on Jesus.
Now, if you haven't alreadynoticed, one of the things that
I've noticed and maybe you willas well, is because the Gospel
(00:21):
of Mark moves from story tostory to story.
It's just constantly moving.
There's a lot of stories perchapter, and so there are a lot
of different ones that we canfocus on, and so I want to know
down in the comments which oneof the stories in today's
chapter is your favorite, and Iwant to present to you two
different ways of looking at astory I've always heard, and I
(00:42):
want to know your opinion belowwhich one you think is more
accurate.
Both are subjective, both ofthem, it could go either way.
I want to know what you think.
So we're going to jump intothat in just a moment Mark,
chapter 6.
While you're getting yourBibles and everything ready, if
you haven't done so, please takejust a moment.
Like, share and subscribe tothe YouTube channel and the
podcast.
Make sure to leave us afive-star review on the podcast
(01:10):
it really does help and makesure you go into the Bible
Breakdown discussion on Facebook.
It's an amazing group of peopledoing a wonderful job and you
can get links to all of that atthebiblebreakdowncom.
Well, once again, if youremember, been with us the past
couple of days we are goingthrough this big idea of the
gospel in motion.
It's an amazing idea ofthinking about that.
The gospel of Mark just jumpsright in and most scholars
(01:30):
believe it's very possible thatMark was actually one of the
first gospels actually written,because the goal of it was to
spread the word of God to theGentile people, especially the
people of Rome.
And you can just kind ofimagine Peter up in front of
these groups of Romans and thesedifferent orators and
(01:50):
philosophers and all this stuff,and he is telling the gospel of
Jesus and Mark is translatingwhat he's saying and then later
he goes back and he writes thatstory down and who knows right,
completely subjective, we don'tknow this.
But maybe then he's comparingnotes and he's saying, peter,
did I get that right?
And he's like no, no, no, sayit this way, say it that way.
And it's just interesting tothink how the Holy Spirit was
(02:12):
making this happen along the way.
And I'm curious about youropinion about one of the stories
toward the end of the chapter,so we'll get to that in just a
moment, but right now let's getstarted with Mark, chapter 6,
verse 1.
Jesus left that part of thecountry and returned with his
disciples to Nazareth, hishometown.
The next Sabbath he beganteaching in the synagogue and
(02:34):
many who heard him were amazed.
They asked where did he get allthis wisdom and the power to
(02:57):
perform such miracles?
Then they scoffed.
And then Jesus told themhometown and among his relatives
and his own family, and becauseof their unbelief he couldn't
do many miracles among themexcept to place his hands on a
few sick people and heal them.
And he was amazed at theirunbelief.
Then Jesus went from village tovillage teaching the people,
and he called his 12 disciplestogether and began sending them
(03:19):
out two by two, giving themauthority to cast out evil
spirits.
And he told them to takenothing for their journey except
a walking stick, no food, notraveler's back, no money, and
he allowed them to wear sandalsbut to not take a change of
clothes.
Wherever you go, he said, stayin the same home until you leave
, but if any place refuses towelcome you or listen to you,
(03:47):
shake its dust from your feet asyou leave, to show that you
have abandoned those people totheir fate.
So the disciples went outtelling everyone they met to
repent of their sins and turn toGod.
And they cast many demons andthey healed many sick people,
anointing them with olive oil.
Many demons and they healedmany sick people, anointing them
with olive oil.
Herod, antipas, the king, soonheard about Jesus because
(04:09):
everyone was talking about him.
Some were saying this must beJohn the Baptist raised from the
dead.
That is why he can do so manymiracles.
Others said he is the prophetElijah, and still others said he
is a prophet, like one of thegreat prophets of the past.
When Herod heard about Jesus,he said John, the man I beheaded
, has come back from the dead.
(04:29):
For Herod had sent soldiers toarrest and imprison John as a
favor to Herodas and she hadbeen his brother Philip's wife,
but Herod had married her.
John had been telling Herod itis against God's law for you to
marry your brother's wife.
So Herod bore a grudge againstJohn and wanted to kill him, but
(04:50):
without Herod's approval shewas powerless, for Herod
respected John, knowing that hewas a good and holy man, and he
protected him.
Herod was greatly disturbedwhenever he talked with John,
but even so he liked to listento him.
Herod's chance finally came.
Herodas finally.
Her chance finally came onHerod's birthday.
She gave a party for his highgovernment officials, army
(05:11):
officers and leading citizens ofGalilee.
Then his daughter, also namedHerodas, came in and performed a
dance that greatly displeasedHerod and his guests.
Pause for a moment.
Some people think this girlmight have been between 8 and 12
years old.
So that's disgusting.
(05:32):
But then listen.
It says ask me for anything youlike.
The king said to the girl and Iwill give it to you.
He even vowed I will give youwhatever you ask up to half my
kingdom.
And she went out and asked hermother what should I ask for?
Her mother told her Ask for thehead of John the Baptist.
So the girl hurried back to theking and said I want the head
(05:53):
of John the Baptist right now ona tray.
Then the king deeply regrettedwhat he had said, but because of
his vows that he had made infront of his guest, he couldn't
refuse her.
So he immediately sent for anexecutioner to go to the prison
and cut off John the Baptist'shead and bring it to him.
The soldier beheaded John inprison, brought his John the
Baptist's head and bring it tohim, and the soldier beheaded
John in prison, brought his headon a tray and gave it to the
(06:15):
girl, who took it to her mother.
Then John's disciples heard whathad happened.
They came, got his body andburied it in a tomb and the
apostles returned to Jesus andtheir ministry to her and told
him everything that had beendone and taught.
And Jesus said let's go off byourselves to a quiet place and
rest a while.
And he said this because therewere so many people coming and
(06:37):
going that Jesus and hisapostles didn't even have time
to eat.
So they left by boat to a quietplace where they could be alone
.
But many people recognized themand saw them leaving and the
people from many towns ran aheadalong the shore and got there
ahead of them.
Jesus saw the huge crowd as hestepped from the boat and he had
(06:57):
compassion on them because theywere like sheep without a
shepherd.
So he began teaching them manythings.
Late in the afternoon hisdisciples came to him and said
this is a remote place and it'salready getting late.
Send the crowds away so theycan go to the nearby farms and
villages and buy something toeat.
But Jesus said you feed themWith what they asked.
(07:20):
We'd have to work for months toearn enough money to buy food
for all these people.
Well, how much bread do youhave?
He asked Go and find out.
So they came back and reportedwe have five loaves of bread and
two fish.
And then Jesus told them.
Then Jesus, excuse me.
Then Jesus told the disciples tohave the people sit down in
groups on the green grass.
(07:41):
So they sat down in groups of50 or 100.
And then Jesus took the fiveloaves and two fish and looked
up toward heaven and he blessedthem.
Then, breaking the loaves intopieces, he kept giving the bread
and disciples so they coulddistribute it to the people.
He also divided the fish foreveryone to share.
They all ate as much as theywanted and afterward the
(08:02):
disciples picked up the 12baskets of leftover bread and
fish.
A total of 5,000 men and theirfamilies were fed.
A lot of people think it couldhave been anywhere between 10
and 15,000 people if you starteddoing the math on families and
stuff like that.
All right, all of these storiesare amazing and they're
wonderful and they're awesome,but we're about to finish the
(08:22):
last story of the scripture andI want you to think about
something.
This story is told from Peter'spoint of view.
Notice if you can tellsomething a little different
about this story, telling aboutJesus walking on water.
You ready, here we go.
Verse 45 says this.
Immediately after this, jesusinsisted that his disciples get
(08:43):
back into the boat and headacross the lake to Bethsaida.
While he sent the people home,after telling everyone goodbye,
he went up into the hills byhimself to pray.
Late that night the discipleswere in the boat in the middle
of the lake and Jesus was aloneon the land.
He saw that they were inserious trouble, rowing hard and
struggling against the windsand the waves.
(09:04):
About three o'clock in themorning, jesus came to them
walking on the water and heintended to go past them.
But when they saw him walkingon the water and he intended to
go past them, but when they sawhim walking on the water they
cried out in terror, thinking hewas a ghost.
And they were all terrifiedwhen they saw him.
But Jesus spoke to them at once.
Don't be afraid.
He said, take courage, I amhere.
(09:25):
Then he climbed into the boatand the wind stopped, and they
were amazed, for they stilldidn't understand the
significance of the miracle ofthe loaves and their hearts were
too hard to take it in.
But after they crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret and
they brought their boat ashoreand they climbed out and the
people recognized Jesus at onceand they ran throughout the
(09:48):
whole area carrying sick peopleon mats to wherever they heard
he was and wherever he wentvillages and cities or the.
Now, I love those stories.
There are so many, they'rereally hard to grab onto.
(10:13):
That's why the focus of thesestories is to keep your eyes on
Jesus.
Now, what I love about thesestories is they're all inspired
by the Holy Spirit, and sothere's no doubt that the way
they have been passed down to usis by divine revelation of the
Lord.
And we could have a wholeconversation about that, about
(10:35):
divine inerrancy and all thatwonderful stuff.
But at the same time, god usedhuman beings to write these down
.
The Bible says itself that itwasn't just because of their own
wisdom, but they were carriedalong by the Holy Spirit.
So they wrote these things down, probably not realizing at the
time they were writing HolyScripture, but the Holy Spirit
was in on it, right.
(10:55):
So that's amazing.
But at the same time, we canhave fun and think about how
they did it.
At the same time and what Ithink is so funny about this is
in various Gospels it tells thisstory because of course you
wouldn't right there's a momentwhen Jesus sends away the crowds
, which is a whole notheramazing thing.
Jesus wasn't interested incollecting crowds, he's
(11:16):
interested in collectingfollowers, right.
And then he goes away to prayaway, sends the disciples to the
other side of the, of the, theriver, there at the lake rather,
and then he sees them introuble, which I love that.
And he goes to them.
I love that.
But notice, in the othergospels it says that they were
afraid.
Jesus says take courage, it isI.
(11:37):
And in the other gospels itsays and then Peter cried out
Jesus, if that's you, can I cometo you on the water?
Jesus says come.
And so he gets out, he walks onthe water, then he falls in the
water.
Jesus saves him.
They go back again.
Do you know what gospel doesn'tmention that?
The one the Holy Spiritinspired Peter to give to Mark.
(12:06):
So I will tell you, in myyounger years I used to take
this and get so tickled and belike you know why he didn't
cover that, because nobody wantsto mention the part where they
fell in the water.
You know, and be like hey, youknow, that's funny, you say that
.
Say that, peter.
I heard Matthew telling thatstory, and he added I don't
worry about what Matthew had tosay, let's just keep moving on,
you know.
Then there's the other side,though, of going.
It's kind of awesome.
We don't really give him a lotof credit for it, but Peter
walked on water.
He was walking to Jesus.
(12:28):
It was all the power of Jesus,but he got to do that.
So it could have been a momentof humility where he wanted to
make sure the focus wasn't onhim, it was on Jesus.
And as you read 1 Peter and 2Peter I think it's the latter
when I was younger and I didn'tunderstand it I thought that
Peter was just trying to notmake himself look bad.
(12:51):
But as I read God's word more,and as I read 1 and 2 Peter, I
think that by the time this camealong, peter had learned the
lesson, because in the othergospels, the reason why Peter
sank below the water is he gothis focus off of Jesus, and
Jesus said why did you have alittle faith?
Why did you take your eyes offme.
And so now he realizes I don'twant the focus on me, I want the
(13:14):
focus on Jesus.
Can I tell you, I've learnedthat in life, if I want to
succeed, I keep my eyes off ofme.
I keep the eyes off of myagenda.
The way I want things to go.
It's okay to have a plan, butthat plan is always welcome to
be interrupted by the plan ofGod and to focus on Jesus.
(13:35):
And can I tell you, that meanssomething when things are going
well, but it is vital, isn't it,when things are going wrong.
When things are going wrong, youhave to not focus on the storm,
but focus on Jesus.
It doesn't mean we're denyingthere's a storm.
The reason why we are sofocused on Jesus is because
there is a storm.
So focusing on Jesus is notdenying a storm.
(13:58):
It's not denying that we're indifficulty, it's just denying
its ability to define our focus.
We are going to focus on Jesus.
And so here's my challenge toyou today If you're going
through a good season in life, Icelebrate that with you.
I hope it lasts as long aspossible.
I want to ask you a questionAre you focused on Jesus?
(14:19):
Are you focused on the reasonwhy the season is so good.
But then I want to challengemaybe somebody else to say if
you're going through a hardseason, are you focusing on how
hard it is?
Are you focusing on the windand the waves and all of that?
Are you focusing on the King?
Can I tell you?
The King is with you right inthe middle of the storm, and so
(14:39):
maybe the number one challengein your life is not to figure
out the storm, but to figure outhow to stay laser focused on
the only one who can bring youthrough it.
Let's pray together right now,god, thank you so much for today
.
Thank you, god, that you'rewith us and you're for us, and
thank you, god, that thepresence of a storm is not the
absence of God, but rather,sometimes, it's the presence of
the storm that helps us to findwhere you are Now.
(15:04):
Prayer today is for anyone whofinds himself in the middle of a
storm, that they'll find you inthe middle of it and help them
to realize, god, that you neverleft.
You're always there.
We celebrate you today InJesus' name.
We pray amen.
And then what God's word saysin Mark 8, verse 34,.
It says if anyone would comeafter me, let him deny himself,
take up his cross and follow me.
(15:24):
I love you, I'll see.
Well, hello everybody .
Welcome back to the BibleBreakdown Podcast with your host
, pastor Brandon.
Today, mark, chapter 6, andtoday's title is Focus on Jesus.
Focus on Jesus.
Now, if you haven't alreadynoticed, one of the things that
I've noticed and maybe you willas well, is because the Gospel
(00:21):
of Mark moves from story tostory to story.
It's just constantly moving.
There's a lot of stories perchapter, and so there are a lot
of different ones that we canfocus on, and so I want to know
down in the comments which oneof the stories in today's
chapter is your favorite, and Iwant to present to you two
different ways of looking at astory I've always heard, and I
(00:42):
want to know your opinion belowwhich one you think is more
accurate.
Both are subjective, both ofthem, it could go either way.
I want to know what you think.
So we're going to jump intothat in just a moment Mark,
chapter 6.
While you're getting yourBibles and everything ready, if
you haven't done so, please takejust a moment.
Like, share and subscribe tothe YouTube channel and the
podcast.
Make sure to leave us afive-star review on the podcast
(01:10):
it really does help and makesure you go into the Bible
Breakdown discussion on Facebook.
It's an amazing group of peopledoing a wonderful job and you
can get links to all of that atthebiblebreakdowncom.
Well, once again, if youremember, been with us the past
couple of days we are goingthrough this big idea of the
gospel in motion.
It's an amazing idea ofthinking about that.
The gospel of Mark just jumpsright in and most scholars
(01:30):
believe it's very possible thatMark was actually one of the
first gospels actually written,because the goal of it was to
spread the word of God to theGentile people, especially the
people of Rome.
And you can just kind ofimagine Peter up in front of
these groups of Romans and thesedifferent orators and
(01:50):
philosophers and all this stuff,and he is telling the gospel of
Jesus and Mark is translatingwhat he's saying and then later
he goes back and he writes thatstory down and who knows right,
completely subjective, we don'tknow this.
But maybe then he's comparingnotes and he's saying, peter,
did I get that right?
And he's like no, no, no, sayit this way, say it that way.
And it's just interesting tothink how the Holy Spirit was
(02:12):
making this happen along the way.
And I'm curious about youropinion about one of the stories
toward the end of the chapter,so we'll get to that in just a
moment, but right now let's getstarted with Mark, chapter 6,
verse 1.
Jesus left that part of thecountry and returned with his
disciples to Nazareth, hishometown.
The next Sabbath he beganteaching in the synagogue and
(02:34):
many who heard him were amazed.
They asked where did he get allthis wisdom and the power to
(02:57):
perform such miracles?
Then they scoffed.
And then Jesus told themhometown and among his relatives
and his own family, and becauseof their unbelief he couldn't
do many miracles among themexcept to place his hands on a
few sick people and heal them.
And he was amazed at theirunbelief.
Then Jesus went from village tovillage teaching the people,
and he called his 12 disciplestogether and began sending them
(03:19):
out two by two, giving themauthority to cast out evil
spirits.
And he told them to takenothing for their journey except
a walking stick, no food, notraveler's back, no money, and
he allowed them to wear sandalsbut to not take a change of
clothes.
Wherever you go, he said, stayin the same home until you leave
, but if any place refuses towelcome you or listen to you,
(03:47):
shake its dust from your feet asyou leave, to show that you
have abandoned those people totheir fate.
So the disciples went outtelling everyone they met to
repent of their sins and turn toGod.
And they cast many demons andthey healed many sick people,
anointing them with olive oil.
Many demons and they healedmany sick people, anointing them
with olive oil.
Herod, antipas, the king, soonheard about Jesus because
(04:09):
everyone was talking about him.
Some were saying this must beJohn the Baptist raised from the
dead.
That is why he can do so manymiracles.
Others said he is the prophetElijah, and still others said he
is a prophet, like one of thegreat prophets of the past.
When Herod heard about Jesus,he said John, the man I beheaded
, has come back from the dead.
(04:29):
For Herod had sent soldiers toarrest and imprison John as a
favor to Herodas and she hadbeen his brother Philip's wife,
but Herod had married her.
John had been telling Herod itis against God's law for you to
marry your brother's wife.
So Herod bore a grudge againstJohn and wanted to kill him, but
(04:50):
without Herod's approval shewas powerless, for Herod
respected John, knowing that hewas a good and holy man, and he
protected him.
Herod was greatly disturbedwhenever he talked with John,
but even so he liked to listento him.
Herod's chance finally came.
Herodas finally.
Her chance finally came onHerod's birthday.
She gave a party for his highgovernment officials, army
(05:11):
officers and leading citizens ofGalilee.
Then his daughter, also namedHerodas, came in and performed a
dance that greatly displeasedHerod and his guests.
Pause for a moment.
Some people think this girlmight have been between 8 and 12
years old.
So that's disgusting.
(05:32):
But then listen.
It says ask me for anything youlike.
The king said to the girl and Iwill give it to you.
He even vowed I will give youwhatever you ask up to half my
kingdom.
And she went out and asked hermother what should I ask for?
Her mother told her Ask for thehead of John the Baptist.
So the girl hurried back to theking and said I want the head
(05:53):
of John the Baptist right now ona tray.
Then the king deeply regrettedwhat he had said, but because of
his vows that he had made infront of his guest, he couldn't
refuse her.
So he immediately sent for anexecutioner to go to the prison
and cut off John the Baptist'shead and bring it to him.
The soldier beheaded John inprison, brought his John the
Baptist's head and bring it tohim, and the soldier beheaded
John in prison, brought his headon a tray and gave it to the
(06:15):
girl, who took it to her mother.
Then John's disciples heard whathad happened.
They came, got his body andburied it in a tomb and the
apostles returned to Jesus andtheir ministry to her and told
him everything that had beendone and taught.
And Jesus said let's go off byourselves to a quiet place and
rest a while.
And he said this because therewere so many people coming and
(06:37):
going that Jesus and hisapostles didn't even have time
to eat.
So they left by boat to a quietplace where they could be alone
.
But many people recognized themand saw them leaving and the
people from many towns ran aheadalong the shore and got there
ahead of them.
Jesus saw the huge crowd as hestepped from the boat and he had
(06:57):
compassion on them because theywere like sheep without a
shepherd.
So he began teaching them manythings.
Late in the afternoon hisdisciples came to him and said
this is a remote place and it'salready getting late.
Send the crowds away so theycan go to the nearby farms and
villages and buy something toeat.
But Jesus said you feed themWith what they asked.
(07:20):
We'd have to work for months toearn enough money to buy food
for all these people.
Well, how much bread do youhave?
He asked Go and find out.
So they came back and reportedwe have five loaves of bread and
two fish.
And then Jesus told them.
Then Jesus, excuse me.
Then Jesus told the disciples tohave the people sit down in
groups on the green grass.
(07:41):
So they sat down in groups of50 or 100.
And then Jesus took the fiveloaves and two fish and looked
up toward heaven and he blessedthem.
Then, breaking the loaves intopieces, he kept giving the bread
and disciples so they coulddistribute it to the people.
He also divided the fish foreveryone to share.
They all ate as much as theywanted and afterward the
(08:02):
disciples picked up the 12baskets of leftover bread and
fish.
A total of 5,000 men and theirfamilies were fed.
A lot of people think it couldhave been anywhere between 10
and 15,000 people if you starteddoing the math on families and
stuff like that.
All right, all of these storiesare amazing and they're
wonderful and they're awesome,but we're about to finish the
(08:22):
last story of the scripture andI want you to think about
something.
This story is told from Peter'spoint of view.
Notice if you can tellsomething a little different
about this story, telling aboutJesus walking on water.
You ready, here we go.
Verse 45 says this.
Immediately after this, jesusinsisted that his disciples get
(08:43):
back into the boat and headacross the lake to Bethsaida.
While he sent the people home,after telling everyone goodbye,
he went up into the hills byhimself to pray.
Late that night the discipleswere in the boat in the middle
of the lake and Jesus was aloneon the land.
He saw that they were inserious trouble, rowing hard and
struggling against the windsand the waves.
(09:04):
About three o'clock in themorning, jesus came to them
walking on the water and heintended to go past them.
But when they saw him walkingon the water and he intended to
go past them, but when they sawhim walking on the water they
cried out in terror, thinking hewas a ghost.
And they were all terrifiedwhen they saw him.
But Jesus spoke to them at once.
Don't be afraid.
He said, take courage, I amhere.
(09:25):
Then he climbed into the boatand the wind stopped, and they
were amazed, for they stilldidn't understand the
significance of the miracle ofthe loaves and their hearts were
too hard to take it in.
But after they crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret and
they brought their boat ashoreand they climbed out and the
people recognized Jesus at onceand they ran throughout the
(09:48):
whole area carrying sick peopleon mats to wherever they heard
he was and wherever he wentvillages and cities or the.
Now, I love those stories.
There are so many, they'rereally hard to grab onto.
(10:13):
That's why the focus of thesestories is to keep your eyes on
Jesus.
Now, what I love about thesestories is they're all inspired
by the Holy Spirit, and sothere's no doubt that the way
they have been passed down to usis by divine revelation of the
Lord.
And we could have a wholeconversation about that, about
(10:35):
divine inerrancy and all thatwonderful stuff.
But at the same time, god usedhuman beings to write these down
.
The Bible says itself that itwasn't just because of their own
wisdom, but they were carriedalong by the Holy Spirit.
So they wrote these things down, probably not realizing at the
time they were writing HolyScripture, but the Holy Spirit
was in on it, right.
(10:55):
So that's amazing.
But at the same time, we canhave fun and think about how
they did it.
At the same time and what Ithink is so funny about this is
in various Gospels it tells thisstory because of course you
wouldn't right there's a momentwhen Jesus sends away the crowds
, which is a whole notheramazing thing.
Jesus wasn't interested incollecting crowds, he's
(11:16):
interested in collectingfollowers, right.
And then he goes away to prayaway, sends the disciples to the
other side of the, of the, theriver, there at the lake rather,
and then he sees them introuble, which I love that.
And he goes to them.
I love that.
But notice, in the othergospels it says that they were
afraid.
Jesus says take courage, it isI.
(11:37):
And in the other gospels itsays and then Peter cried out
Jesus, if that's you, can I cometo you on the water?
Jesus says come.
And so he gets out, he walks onthe water, then he falls in the
water.
Jesus saves him.
They go back again.
Do you know what gospel doesn'tmention that?
The one the Holy Spiritinspired Peter to give to Mark.
(12:06):
So I will tell you, in myyounger years I used to take
this and get so tickled and belike you know why he didn't
cover that, because nobody wantsto mention the part where they
fell in the water.
You know, and be like hey, youknow, that's funny, you say that
.
Say that, peter.
I heard Matthew telling thatstory, and he added I don't
worry about what Matthew had tosay, let's just keep moving on,
you know.
Then there's the other side,though, of going.
It's kind of awesome.
We don't really give him a lotof credit for it, but Peter
walked on water.
He was walking to Jesus.
(12:28):
It was all the power of Jesus,but he got to do that.
So it could have been a momentof humility where he wanted to
make sure the focus wasn't onhim, it was on Jesus.
And as you read 1 Peter and 2Peter I think it's the latter
when I was younger and I didn'tunderstand it I thought that
Peter was just trying to notmake himself look bad.
(12:51):
But as I read God's word more,and as I read 1 and 2 Peter, I
think that by the time this camealong, peter had learned the
lesson, because in the othergospels, the reason why Peter
sank below the water is he gothis focus off of Jesus, and
Jesus said why did you have alittle faith?
Why did you take your eyes offme.
And so now he realizes I don'twant the focus on me, I want the
(13:14):
focus on Jesus.
Can I tell you, I've learnedthat in life, if I want to
succeed, I keep my eyes off ofme.
I keep the eyes off of myagenda.
The way I want things to go.
It's okay to have a plan, butthat plan is always welcome to
be interrupted by the plan ofGod and to focus on Jesus.
(13:35):
And can I tell you, that meanssomething when things are going
well, but it is vital, isn't it,when things are going wrong.
When things are going wrong, youhave to not focus on the storm,
but focus on Jesus.
It doesn't mean we're denyingthere's a storm.
The reason why we are sofocused on Jesus is because
there is a storm.
So focusing on Jesus is notdenying a storm.
(13:58):
It's not denying that we're indifficulty, it's just denying
its ability to define our focus.
We are going to focus on Jesus.
And so here's my challenge toyou today If you're going
through a good season in life, Icelebrate that with you.
I hope it lasts as long aspossible.
I want to ask you a questionAre you focused on Jesus?
(14:19):
Are you focused on the reasonwhy the season is so good.
But then I want to challengemaybe somebody else to say if
you're going through a hardseason, are you focusing on how
hard it is?
Are you focusing on the windand the waves and all of that?
Are you focusing on the King?
Can I tell you?
The King is with you right inthe middle of the storm, and so
(14:39):
maybe the number one challengein your life is not to figure
out the storm, but to figure outhow to stay laser focused on
the only one who can bring youthrough it.
Let's pray together right now,god, thank you so much for today
.
Thank you, god, that you'rewith us and you're for us, and
thank you, god, that thepresence of a storm is not the
absence of God, but rather,sometimes, it's the presence of
the storm that helps us to findwhere you are Now.
(15:04):
Prayer today is for anyone whofinds himself in the middle of a
storm, that they'll find you inthe middle of it and help them
to realize, god, that you neverleft.
You're always there.
We celebrate you today InJesus' name.
We pray amen.
And then what God's word saysin Mark 8, verse 34,.
It says if anyone would comeafter me, let him deny himself,
take up his cross and follow me.
(15:24):
I love you, I'll see.
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