In this sermon, the preacher begins by discussing the importance of working together in pairs, as exemplified by Jesus sending out his disciples two by two. He then goes on to describe the various roles and attributes of Jesus, such as being the Nazarene, the omniscient Son of God, a carpenter, a prophet, a healer, a teacher, and the master. The preacher emphasizes the power and compassion of Jesus, highlighting his ability to provide for the needs of his followers and overcome challenges. He concludes by encouraging listeners to turn to Jesus in times of difficulty and seek to learn from their experiences.

You will remember, friends, that John Mark found it necessary in writing to the Romans to explain himself somewhat from time to time. Explain Aramaic words, explain details about Jerusalem that he was speaking about, because the Romans wouldn't understand. I don't expect you dear people to understand everything about our English way. And when I say a Swede dropped off a lorry, I must recapitulate and put it in a better way so that you follow my meaning, or else we shall have to have an interpreter here from time to time. It was just that one of these big yellow turnips. Yeah, thanks, man. A kind of big yellow turnip it was that dropped off a truck. Not a lorry, a truck. Yes. And they put it in the boot. No, the trunk. Yeah. And, oh, yeah. Well, anyway, it's nice for me to come to your country and learn some of your ways. And sometimes, you know, some people in this land try to impress me with the fact that they come from the other side as well. They seem to be proud about it. I'm not sure whether they are. One American woman was trying to impress me. She said, you know, my family's ancestry is quite old and very English. I said, oh, yes. And she said, yes, it goes back to King John of England who lost his jewels in the wash. I said, oh, yes. She said, how old is your family? Well, I said, I can't really say for sure because, you see, all our family records were lost in the flood. Well, you know, I'm learning some of your ways, but I haven't quite got into the way of introducing myself to people like you do in your country, you know. I mean, if I went to England and said to somebody, I'm, you know, I held out my hand and said, I'm David Clifford. The other chap would put both his hands behind his back like this and he'd look me in the face and say, so what? They wouldn't understand. And, you know, when I first came, I just didn't understand. But it's nice to get into your American ways. I sometimes wear an American tie to show, you know, that I'm half and half. But I hope you forgive me having an English tie on tonight because one brother down the front here reminds me of the hymn, Bless me the tie that blinds. Well, in talking about Mark's gospel and being the interpreter for Peter in interpreting the Jewish ideas for the people of Rome and the Gentiles in particular, I think we would do well to turn to the word Mark chapter 6. Mark chapter 6. Don't quite know what to do tonight. It's probably a bit late for me to say something like that. But I'll tell you what's on my mind, shall I? I really want to make a special point about the verses from 45 to 53. That's really what I want to preach about. But there's such a lot in this chapter about the Lord Jesus and He's portrayed in so many ways I find it difficult to leave anything out. I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll have one more week at the Park of the Palms and I'll spend one week on the sixth chapter. How's that? Nobody in favour, all right. We'll have to do what we can this evening. So I think perhaps while I was sitting there a few minutes ago I decided on this idea that I will read through the first part and speak on it while I read through it. Just to try to get through that fairly quickly. And then we'll move over to verse 45 and I'll read that through and then give a short sermon if that is possible on those verses. Now then if you had only been here this morning you would have noticed that it was possible for even me to give a short sermon because I finished four minutes early. How about that? History has been made today. And I'm not promising you anything at this moment for tonight. All right, now let us look at God's precious word from chapter 6 because in the fifth chapter this morning we were seeing that Christ is portrayed as the Saviour. There was the hopeless man and the helpless woman and the lifeless child and He proved to be a sufficient Saviour for each and the Master of every situation. This morning therefore it was Christ the Master and Christ the Saviour. I think if I remember rightly the subject tonight is entitled Christ the Nazarene and Christ Our Life. We get Christ the Nazarene from the beginning of the chapter and Christ Our Life is portrayed later on in that portion I want to emphasise as I said a little later on toward the end. Now of course this is all about the Lord Jesus. We can't do anything better than look into the word and read about the Saviour and see the ways in which He is portrayed. You know, Whitefield, the great British revivalist used to say I find preaching Christ the greatest means of converting sinners and of building saints. So let's have a look at the Saviour. Because in verse 1 He is the Nazarene in His own country. In verse 2 He is the omniscient, omnipotent Son of God. In verse 3 He is the carpenter and in verse 4 He is the prophet. In verse 5 He is the healer. In verse 6 He is the teacher. In verse 7 He is the Master. Later on He is the judge and then He is the comforter and then He is the shepherd of the sheep having compassion on the multitude. And then He is seen as the omnipotent Son of God in the miracle of the loaves and fishes. And then He is seen as the intercessor going to the mountain top to pray in verse 46. And then He is seen as the overcomer in verse 48 overcoming the waves that were overcoming them. And then later on He comes to get in the boat and is portrayed typically or in picture as Christ the life of the believer. And He went out from thence and came into His own country and His disciples followed Him. I thought His country was Judah. He was born in Judah but He was to be called Nazarene and He came into His own country because that's where He was brought up as a boy. But you know thou Bethlehem of Judah art not least amongst the cities of Judah Bethlehem Ephrata for out of thee shall come one who shall be governor ruler of my people Israel. And so really Judah was our Lord's own country in one sense. But in another sense Heaven was His own country. He came from the glory that was His country from the Father's bosom and the adoration of the angels the splendor of Heaven that was His country really. And you know He's gone back to His own country and one day He's coming to take us there. And our politics and our manner of life is inherent from whence also we look for the Saviour which by the way is our home because we are pilgrims and strangers here. His country is our country. Heaven is our home. We are strangers down here. You can call yourself a pilgrim or a stranger or an ambassador while you're in America but that's all you can call yourself and that is very scriptural language because Heaven is your home. And He left His home His own country to come to this sin-cursed world to bring us to His country out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe only His great eternal love made my Saviour go. And into the ivory palaces out of this world of woe saved by His great eternal love I shall one day go. Well, Judah really was His country. Heaven really was His country. Nazareth was His own country too. He was brought up in Nazareth and He came back to His own country. You've been there, have you? And did you go up the hillside of Nazareth and you saw the cave there which was the home of our Lord as tradition has it and in this case I think tradition is correct as quite a bit of ground for this supposition or this traditional belief that this particular cave was the home of our Saviour carved out of a stone of the hillside and we went down, a few of us because only about ten of us could get in it at one time and what a poor dwelling place this was and softly we sang together Man of Sorrows What a name for the Son of God who came to this country from His country to make this Nazareth hillside His own country ruined sinners to reclaim Hallelujah What a Saviour He came to His own country Now it says in the first verse that His disciples follow Him Now you would expect that, wouldn't you? That's what disciples do follow and true disciples follow Him all the way The Lord Jesus said if any man will come after me will follow me, come after me will be a disciple let him deny his self and that's not grammatically correct but it's Lancashire let him deny himself it gives the sense much better let him deny his self and take up his cross and follow me all the way Which way are you going Lord? I'm going to die The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified but first of all He must die suffer many things and be crucified and die except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die that bideth alone but if it die it bringeth forth much fruit and if any man serve me let him follow me Which way are you going Lord? I've just told you I'm going into death it is the way the Master went shall not the servant tread it still and His disciples follow Him that's what disciples do and two disciples follow Him all the way like Ittai the Gittite when David had a usurper on his throne in the form of his own rebellious son Absalom he gathered his bits and pieces together and loved ones and started to go over the Brook Kidron just by the side of Jerusalem into the wilderness and Ittai comes up and he said where are you going my Lord O King? he said I'm going into the wilderness I'm rejected the kingdom has been stolen from me somebody else is sitting on the throne well Ittai I said I'll come with you I'll follow you no he said you needn't not compulsory you know he said you can go back and dwell with King Absalom just like once before when I went into the wilderness and Jonathan let me go into the wilderness alone and he went back and dwelt with King Saul the man that God had rejected because of his sin you can do what Jonathan did if you want to said the King to Ittai the Gittite but the Ittai said no sir he said where my Lord the King will be whether in death or life I will follow as a true disciple all the way and the King said to him Ittai come along pass over and he shared his rejection up and down in the wilderness whether he would and of course what was the sequel? well in the first case when King David went into the wilderness before you know Saul was slain fighting the Philistines and they sent for David and said come and sit on the throne and he did and at last the shepherd boy had become the King they put the crown on his head and everybody said God save the King and where was Jonathan? Jonathan was dead he wasn't a true disciple didn't share his glory and didn't share his reign didn't follow him all the way and his disciples follow him what about the other case then when David went into the wilderness the second time Ittai went with him he shared his rejection he shared his suffering and he shared his shame and he was a true disciple and he followed him all the way and then Absalom lost his life he caught his head in between some branches as he was riding through a wood and he hung there till he died and then they sent for David and said come and sit on the throne again and be our King once more and they did and they put the crown on him and he did and they put the crown on his head and everybody said God save the King once again David was King and where was Ittai? He was with him he came back with him he shared his glory and he shared his reign because he was a true disciple and he followed his master into his rejection he followed all the way and our Lord is now rejected and his true disciples follow him all the way into his rejection and when he comes in bright array as surely he will and leads the conquering line it will be glory then to say that he is a friend if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him so his disciples follow him verse 2 and when the Sabbath day was come he began to teach in the synagogue here is the Lord Jesus as the teacher but revealing himself as the omniscient Son of God and many hearing him were astonished saying from whence hath this man these things and what wisdom is this which is given unto him that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands so both the omniscient one and the omnipotent one is seen here the wisdom in his teaching was revealed and manifest to be of God and the might of his working was proved to be almighty you see true wisdom is from God earthly wisdom no matter how much knowledge people possess and wisdom is the right outworking of knowledge earthly wisdom will fail but true wisdom is from God and Christ is the wisdom of God personified in Proverbs chapter 8 there is the biggest part of the chapter about that this must be referring to Christ as a person as the wisdom of God manifested in Luke 24 we read that the disciples reasoned together and they were sad their reasoning brought them sadness but his thought brought them gladness this was the wisdom of God personified because you know what he did he opened the scriptures to them their talk was reasoning and his talk was revelation their talk brought sadness but his talk brought gladness this was the wisdom that was from on high and the beautiful thing about it is beloved is this that Christ by God the Father has been made to you to become your wisdom did you only think that Jesus was your saviour God has given him to you to be your wisdom too because your wisdom isn't good enough to get you through you and I will utterly fail of ourselves the arm of flesh will fail us we dare not trust our own might and we dare not trust our own wisdom and this is why God has given Christ to us to be everything to us including is not this the carpenter verse 3 they said the son of Mary the brother of James and Joseph and of Judah and Simon are not his sisters here with us and they were offended that is they were stumbled at him they despised him you see because they looked upon him just as an ordinary local working man although these in the previous chapter had seen his omniscience and his omnipotence yet there were those in his own country who just looked upon him as a carpenter now the word here is teklon in the Greek and it means rather more than a carpenter it really means a craftsman in the Greek Homer a teklon is said to build both houses and ships and even temples so you can see that our Lord Jesus was very very gifted in his trade and profession as a craftsman a teklon but these people you see they said we know his mother Mary now they didn't say is not this the carpenters son Joseph's son they said is not this the carpenter the son of Mary by this time it is evident that Joseph had passed away he being quite a few years older than Mary and it does seem that the Lord Jesus being the oldest one in the family the oldest son and he being not only the son of Mary but the son of God with power he was the one in his in his profession as a teklon would be supporting the family till the other brothers were old enough so to do but Jesus said unto them a prophet is not without honour but in his own country and among his own kin and in his own house and of course the Lord Jesus certainly was a prophet and he was not assuming another's right here Moses said of him prophetically a prophet shall the Lord your God and raise up unto you like unto me him shall you hear however it says in verse 5 he could do no mighty works there say that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them you know the atmosphere was wrong the atmosphere was wrong now William Barkley one of our modern commentators a bit of a modernist in some respects but he says some very very good things sometimes and he said that the congregation the Christian congregation should know that they preach more than half the sermon now listen if the atmosphere was wrong in this chapel tonight I just wouldn't be able to preach much at all I'd say something and I'd keep on for half an hour or three quarters of an hour or if I hadn't got any liberty I might keep on for an hour and a quarter you know trying to get through all the time but the when there's the right atmosphere you see this is such a help to the preacher he is by the enabling of the Spirit of God able to do something because there's the liberty of the Spirit where there is the right atmosphere this depends on you not on me on me to some degree on you mostly the congregation must know that it preaches half or more of the sermon there was no atmosphere there there was the wrong reception there was the spirit of criticism and he could do very very little and if you have found during these three months or more a blessing from the Lord the Word of the Lord has had free course and be glorified in your life bringing blessing to you then thank God for the liberty of the Spirit and make sure that you as the congregation always preaches a good fifty or sixty percent of the sermon by bringing the right atmosphere with you into the chapel every time preparing your heart in the Spirit before you get here and looking to the Lord Himself without any spirit of criticism or any wrong attitude toward anybody else so that God's Holy Spirit can move amongst us unhindered and I tell you what when the Holy Spirit is unhindered He is powerful and He will work and He couldn't do much there could the Lord Jesus not even the omniscient and Almighty Son of God because of their unbelief He marveled because of their unbelief on other occasions the Lord Jesus marveled at people's belief and here He marveled at their unbelief I don't think I'd better start that subject it's a big one on its own but He just marveled at their unbelief may we turn over the page well it is in my Bible anyway to verse forty-five straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida while He sent away the people when He had sent them away He departed into a mountain to pray and even was come the ship was in the midst of the sea and He alone on the land He saw them toiling and rowing the wind was contrary unto them about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them walking upon the sea and would have passed by them when they saw Him walking upon the sea they supposed it had been a spirit and cried out they all saw Him and were troubled immediately He talked with them and saith unto them be of good cheer it is I be not afraid and He went up unto them into the ship and the wind ceased they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered for they considered not the miracle of the loaves for their heart was hardened when they had passed over they came into the land of Nesareth and drew to the shore may the Lord bless to us those few verses and those few we looked at briefly at the beginning of the chapter as well you remember earlier in the chapter the Lord Jesus as the Master had sent His servants out to serve Him two by two a lot of wisdom in that you know He certainly was the wisdom of God personified Ecclesiastes 4 says that two are better than one they work more successfully in verse 9 and they walk more safely in verse 10 and they warm more easily in verse 11 and they withstand more effectively in verse 12 that's Ecclesiastes chapter 4 two are better than one this has been so in my experience Ernest Woodhouse used to work with me Alf McGregor a missionary to South America used to work with me and Jim Boswell used to work with me and Bill Davis used to work with me and I found that I needed to have somebody with me in my service for the Lord and I expect they felt exactly the same and now Mrs. W.E. Clifford works with me you see two are better than one scripture says so and He sent them out two by two and then of course after a little while they returned this is in verse 30 and 31 of our chapter and they reported to the Lord and told Him all things both what they had done and what they had taught and it's interesting to see His response every time this happens but we can't go into those other times tonight there isn't time to go into those other times so we'll just mention this time verse 31 He said unto them come yourselves apart and rest a while He realised that they were very tired and that they wanted rest but rest of a certain and special kind rest in His presence He didn't say go and rest He said come and rest a while and it was Mary who sat resting at Jesus' seat and that's why she heard His word if you rest in Christ who is our night and sit at His seat you'll certainly hear His word so He said come yourselves apart and rest a while but you know although then they had no leisure so much as to eat they didn't get the rest that He called them into that day as a matter of fact they went by ship privately to another piece of ground round the coast but even then they didn't get the rest because the people were watching like this they saw them go across the lake and they said come on they've landed round there seven miles up the road and they all got together and started walking away and crowds and crowds and crowds and thousands of people came and you know the Lord Jesus had a very busy time teaching them the word of God I have given to them thy words and the disciples had a busy time feeding the multitude now of course they couldn't have done that without the omnipotent Son of God manifesting His almightyness once again on this occasion and multiplying the loaves and the fishes it would be very very interesting to go to that story wouldn't it I love that story the five barley loaves and the two small fishes the little boy's little bit some of his lunch left over which he handed to the Lord and the Lord made such a lot of his little bit little is much if God is in it you know and man's long day is not worth God's minute and there was a manifestation of God's power and thousands shared in the blessing that day because he handed over his little bit to the Lord it's a great story and lesson in that so they had a very busy time feeding the multitude they didn't get the rest that he called them into and as a matter of fact they got into a storm instead but I want you to see if I can remember this at the end remind me if I forget they did right at the end get the rest after they learned their lesson and they had found the secret of rest in Christ who is but now they were very busy and then of course he constrained his disciples after he sent the people away to get into a ship verse 45 and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida while he sent away the people now he knew very well there was going to be a storm earlier on in the chapter we saw he was the omniscient son of God he knew everything he knew there was going to be a storm and he sent them into it now he does that sometimes in his wisdom God did that in Exodus in chapter 3 he said to the people you should go 3 days journey into the wilderness and worship the Lord your God and in chapter 15 they are exactly 3 days journey in the wilderness what did they find no water to drink and they were in the line of his perfect will now God does that sometimes you see they had 40 long years before them in the wilderness with no one to provide victuals for them save the Lord God himself so right at the beginning of the journey in his will he brought them to the place of need to the place where there was nothing so that they might prove his power to provide and learn more of their almighty God right at the beginning of the journey isn't that good and the Lord Jesus he knew these disciples had got to learn something and he sent them into the storm now when you get into a storm in life when the waves are high and your bath is being tossed about like a cork on the ocean of time just turn to the Lord and say now Lord what is it you want me to learn and he will show you and they had to learn here the biggest lesson in their life that they needed the Lord Jesus Christ Christ with them in every vicissitude of their life just as you and I have to learn that very important lesson Christ who is when he had sent them away verse 46 he departed into a mountain to pray so they went across the sea and he went up to the mountain top here the Lord Jesus is pictured as the intercessor in our Lord's presence session he is our advocate with the Father that's one thing which I'm not talking about and he is our intercessor in other words he is praying for you just say it in plain English Jesus now prays for me isn't that nice and when you think that he was praying from the mountain top it doesn't say he was praying for them but it does say he saw them and it does say the wind was contrary unto them and there was a storm you see so I'm sure if he saw them and they were in the storm and he was praying I'm sure the deduction is correct that he would be praying for them notice they couldn't see him it was a dark and stormy night but he saw them now remember these two things whatever darkness of circumstance may shut out him from your view none can shut out you from his view he sees he knows he loves and he cares and Jesus is praying for you now I know you rejoice in the fact that the Holy Spirit helps you to pray makes it intercession for you that is gives you his enabling in your prayer life that's one thing this is altogether different on the throne Jesus beholds you in the storm of life and he prays now for you in your need and when Ewan was come the ship was in the midst of the sea and he alone on the land and he saw them toiling and rowing now when in the midst of the sea in other words they had got three and a half miles in about nine hours I'm not going to waste my time and explain how I worked that out to you waste of time it's true though well I found to give you a clue when I was on the lake of Galia at this point it was seven miles wide and it says they were in the middle so I gathered there about three and a half miles that's easy isn't it my mathematics is good tonight three and a half miles in nine hours and well you say I thought these men were fishermen mostly yes born and bred at the oars yes and yet in all that time they'd only got three and a half miles correct well why was this well you say there was something wrong it was a dark and it was a stormy night the wind was contrary it was right against them oh no I disagree with you it wasn't really that that was wrong because this is how I prove that you are wrong if you say that because when the wrong was put right the wind ceased they had to learn that they needed the almighty son of God with them in control in every circumstance of their experience Christ who is our light now I'm sure he not only saw them and and prayed for them but I'm sure that he pitied them as well trying to do his will now he had said to them my will for you is very simple and clear I want you to go to Bethsaida in Galilee there's the boat that's my will go and they tried to do his will now fair play they did their level best most sincere were they they got in the boat and they toiled at the oars and they were trying to do his will and they couldn't do it themselves and he pitied them toiling and rowing and not making it I'm quite sure the Lord Jesus today looking from heaven beholds a lot of his own children just like these disciples of old honestly and sincerely trying to do his will in their lives and yet failing so to do I think the Galatians were like this the Galatian believers the apostle said to them in chapter 3 he said oh foolish Galatians who have bewitched you they were bewitched and bewildered because they were not now still believing they had begun by faith but they had turned to striving at the oars toiling at the oars attempting to live the Christian life where the Galatian Christians in their own strength he said you began correctly in the spirit through faith in Jesus that's the way to begin but he said that's the way to continue through faith in Jesus he said are you so foolish to think that you may be made perfect by the flesh and by fleshly energy and by toiling and rowing after that you have begun in the spirit by faith lots of Christians are like that you know they began the Christian life right by trusting in Jesus and they believed that Jesus could keep them out of hell save them from hell but they don't believe that Jesus can save them day by day think of that now and so they try themselves in the energy of the flesh and they toil at the oars to get there they're honest and sincere they're trying to do his will but they haven't realised that God won't help their fleshly energy to do anything he in his reckoning crucified it with Christ two thousand years ago and they were toiling at the oars and he pitied them there's a hymn we sing to the unsaved if they come in to listen to it in England it goes like this lay thy deadly doing down down at Jesus feet rest in him in him alone gloriously complete and I suppose most of us are saved tonight because the day came when we gave up our own trying to be Christians and we trusted Christ we laid our deadly doings our own workings down but of course this is what we have to do day by day you began by doing that, continue by doing that the Christian life's not imitation the Christian life is indwelling Christ who is our life lay thy deadly doing down down at Jesus feet you Christians rest in him in him alone gloriously complete his work on the cross was enough for your eternal salvation that's why you're saved but his work in you by his Spirit is enough for you and for your day by day salvation lay thy deadly doing down but they were toiling at the oars Captain Reginald Wallis used to say we never conquer by doing only by dying now what did he mean? he meant really that we never overcome the waves and the problems and the sins and the temptations of this life by our own efforts but only by ceasing from our own efforts and turning to the almighty Christ is the victory we never conquer by doing only by dying I had a little piece in my Bible somewhere if I could find it it comes to me just here about our friend George Mueller of Bristol and somebody said to him one day why is it Mr. Mueller you are so successful in God's service and you have so many answers to your prayers and by this time a very old man he was about 90 years of age or perhaps a little more and he bowed his old back to the ground as far as it would go and he said listen a day came in George Mueller's life when George Mueller died he said I utterly died he said I died to the criticisms from without and he said I died to the commendations as well and I died to my own brethren's opinions and criticisms and from henceforth it was the Lord and his will and his desires and his life and he said I utterly utterly you never overcome by doing only by dying and this is what they had to learn at this time that their toiling in rowing must cease and that Christ must be in control so he came to them from the mountaintop walking on the wave and would have passed by them now he presents himself to them as the overcoming saviour you see he was overcoming the wave and they were overcoming them he was overcoming the very things that were overcoming them and he presented himself to them like that in as much as to say well I'm the one you want as a matter of fact he said it it is I be not afraid be of good cheer and you can be of good cheer when Christ is in the boat and when he's in control of things because everything changes when the almighty one is at the helm so he presents himself to them as the overcoming saviour and he's walking on the waves and he says it is I be not afraid now that's my message for you tonight really that the Lord Jesus Christ himself the living Christ who comes to your side today nay into your heart and life by his spirit tonight is sufficient for you he is enough for your present situation I don't care how high the waves are and how tough and strong the wind is against you the almighty Christ by his spirit comes and says it is I and I am enough sufficient for every situation is the saviour they all saw him they supposed at first it had been a spirit in verse 49 and they cried out and they were troubled and he talked with them said be of good cheer passio it is I be not afraid and he went up to them into the ship now it says at the end of verse 48 he would have passed by them now do you think that he came from the mountain top and walked to them on the waves to give them the go by he came to do for them what they were not able to do for themselves you know what it was they were supposed to do they were supposed to do his will to go to Bethsaida in Galilee they were trying to do it and couldn't do it he came from the mountain top to do his will for them himself but notice he wouldn't get in that boat until he was sure of a welcome he made as though he would have passed by do you think he wanted to give them the go by no sir but of course he would never force himself upon anyone as in Luke 24 when they got to the village of Emmaus he made as though he would have gone further he didn't want to go any further he was all only waiting for a welcome and in this case when they welcomed him into the boat he got in he went up onto them into the ship and the wind ceased now what happened when the Lord Jesus got in the boat well maybe Peter said to Andrew and some of the others come on brethren now we must really work harder and strive at the oars because the master has joined us you know what he told us to do to go to Bethsaida we must work much much harder and show him we are trying to do his will the best we know how now brethren, brothers let us bend to the oars did he he said you can put your oars at the bottom of the boat or throw them across the waves as far as they would go the Lord is with us he is enough for the situation and if you compare this gospel with John's gospel you will find that the moment the Lord Jesus got in the boat a miracle happened actually two happened one was that the wind ceased and the other was that they were immediately at port at Bethsaida at the other side of the lake by his indwelling presence the miracles were accomplished at once he was enough for the situation and they were there what a tremendous blessing when the Lord takes control of the vessel the Lord is mine I shall not drift he lighteth me across the dark waters he seareth me through the deep channels he keepeth my log he guideth me by the star of holiness for his name's sake yea, though I sail amidst the thunders and the tempests of life I shall dread no danger for thou art with me thy love and thy care they shall to me thou preparest to harbour before me in the homeland of eternity thou anointest the waves with oil my ship rideth calmly surely sunlight and starlight shall favour me on the voyage I take and I will rest in the port of my God forever how wonderful when the Lord is not only in the boat as in another occasion in Luke 8 but in control of the thing not only in your heart as your Saviour but in control of your life as the very life of your life that's when you find rest in him and they would say brethren, at last we and Lord don't use the oars now he'll do the miracle Christ is with us he's in control we will rest in his sufficiency at last they found the rest that he called them into when they had learned their lesson that they couldn't do his will to get to Bethsaida in their own fleshly energy but that his will for them must be done by himself and by him with them in control of the boat you'll never do the will of Christ in your life Christ by his Spirit must do it for you because you have died in the divine reckoning and now Christ is your life in the divine reckoning and you reckon on the divine reckoning and accept Christ in the boat as the controller of your present experience the very life of your life and the wind ceased I like that bit you see the circumstances adverse gave way to the indwelling presence of Christ and you say circumstances are against you alright that may be absolutely true and you have my deepest sympathy but what about giving over the control of everything in your life to Christ and make him from tonight onwards the very life of your life you'll find the wind I cease my vain rowing the wind has ceased blowing now Christ keeps me going praise be and there will be praise to the Saviour when he is the life of my life control of my vessel I was conducting a crusade in in Coventry there was a big marquee right in the centre of the city a few months before our friend Hitler and a few of his Nazis had been along and dropped some bombs on the centre of the city and we saw this happening my wife and I from a distance we were at a little place called Bewdley and they were coming over in there hundreds and hundreds and we could see the city of Coventry on fire and well it happened that there was a very nice clear spot all concrete of course in the middle of the city right plump in the middle of the city so we got permission and we put our marquee right there we got some metal stakes to put through the concrete and it held up alright and we had a young man from London from one of the assemblies in North London to come and help us he'd been before to help us on his holiday he was a very keen servant of the Lord but Jim Boswell and one or two others who were with me on that occasion and they said now look here brother we don't think you ought to invite Norman again for his holiday the point was this you see Norman was very young but he was very very capable and he knew it that was the trouble he knew it and you know he would get up in his own assembly like one of the elder brethren and really tell the saints what to do tremendous ability and he would lead a meeting as though he'd been leading meetings for 39 years and he was only 19 and he'd had a very big executive post in this particular local government office in North London for several years he started when he was 15 why kids, boys, or men when they're 15 in Britain and Mighty Norman was what we called him because he was so mighty and a very suitable name for Norman Mighty Norman anyway I didn't promise Jim and the others that I wouldn't invite him again but I knew exactly what they meant and Norman asked his elder brethren if they would invite me for a crusade to this assembly that winter and I went down and it was during that time that Norman got a great blessing and you know the Lord seemed to deliver him of his pride we never called him Mighty Norman after that he wrote me about his experience of the Lord and this is how he put it how often times of weariness and doubt I longed for rest from strivings in my heart from disappointment and failure and defeat which rubbed me of the joy he would impart how often I cried for peace and quiet when conscious of my inward sin and stain and strove afresh to conquer and to win a fight which Christ the Lord had died to gain and Norman went on how vain the efforts of my sinful heart to fight against the self which there enthroned would seek to gratify and bear fruit which God hath in his word before condemned how poor the reasonings of my feeble mind to think that I the victory could gain against a foe which Christ the Lord destroyed on Calvary's cross of sorrow and of shame but yet the word assured me there remained a rest for those who by faith entered in who claimed the victory which they long had sought by trusting Christ for conquest or their sin a rest from worry and doubt and discontent a life of flowing peace and joy divine a fount of love implanted in the heart a river rich with happiness sublime and the rest I sought says Norman the rest I sought I found in Christ the Lord the one who once I slighted reigns o'er me the flesh which triumphed reckoned crucified and Jesus' life is lived again through me not I but Christ is now my daily prayer the shout of victory sounds to praise his name the spirit's fruit appears as I in death find life again in Jesus' glorious reign would you this life of rest and power now? Norman asks would you be fruitful in your sojourn here commit thyself to Calvary and die let Jesus live in you his victory share cease from your toiling rest in him alone finish vain effort in his strength abide calm in earth's tumult dwelling in his haven you shall live your days enjoy us glad surprise thank God he came from the mountain top and did it all for them thank God the saviour who is on the throne tonight and praying for you comes to you by his spirit to take control and bring you tonight into rest in Christ who is our life