(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) We'll sing song number 39. We re-have a place that's called heaven, it's made for the pure and the free. These truths in God's word he hath given, how beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be, sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary, how beautiful heaven must be. In heaven no drooping nor pining, no wishing for elsewhere to be. God's light is forever there shining, how beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be, sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary, how beautiful heaven must be. Pure waters of life there are flowing, and all who will drink may be free. Rare jewels for splendor are glowing, how beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be, sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary, how beautiful heaven must be. The angels so sweetly are singing, up there by the beautiful sea. Sweet chords from their gold harps are ringing, how beautiful heaven must be. How beautiful heaven must be, sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary, how beautiful heaven must be. All right, let's pray. Heavenly Father Lord, again, we just want to thank you and praise you, God, for just another beautiful Sunday morning and the opportunity to be in your house and to hear your word preached. God, thank you so much for our church. Thank you so much for your word. I pray, Lord, now that you would just be honored and glorified out of everything we say and do, for it's in Jesus' name we ask all, but amen. All right, you may be seated and turn your songbooks to song number 13. Song number 13 in your songbooks. We'll sing, Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone? Song number 13. Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me. The consecrated cross I'll bear till death shall set me free. And then go home, my crown to wear, for there's a crown for me. Upon the crystal pavement down at Jesus' peace it feet. Joyful, I'll cast my golden crown and His dear name repeat. O precious cross, O glorious crown, O resurrection day, Ye angels from the stars, come down and bear my soul away. Amen. So welcome to Mountain Baptist Church on this Sunday morning. And just some church announcements here. As far as the service times go, everything should be normal today. As far as we have our afternoon or evening service, if you will, at 4 p.m. We have our soul winning time at 1 p.m. today, so everything should be normal there. So be in your places, if you will, throughout soul winning this afternoon. It's supposed to be warming up, although it's already kind of not cold. But it's supposed to be nice this afternoon, so soul winning should be good there. And then don't forget about the regional soul winning times throughout the week. So brother Charles leads up the Monday time around the Morgantown area. Tuesday, brother Matt leads up the soul winning time out in the Salem area. And then brother Richie leads up the Wednesday time, usually Fairmont-Clarksburg area, stuff like that. So it's not always in those areas, but it's going to be around those areas. And so yeah, so if you can't come today out soul winning, then there's three other times throughout the week. And I know brother Jim and just other people sometimes will be out on, and brother Denzel will be out on Saturday or just different days of the week. So just be on the WhatsApp if there's any other times that are going on throughout the week. Upcoming events, we have the men's prayer meeting on the list here. What is today? I'm losing track of time. So it's this Friday, right? That's right, yeah, because today's the 23rd. So this Friday will be the men's prayer meeting. And then the next Saturday will be the women's prayer meeting. And we are trying to figure out, so I know brother Chris and others were maybe on October 31st, everybody knows that's like when everybody's celebrating Halloween. We usually do like a harvest party on that, but since we just had the retreat, it kind of seemed like, boom, we're right into another fellowship. So we're not doing a harvest party on that day, but we're gonna do some soup thing. Soups and pies, chili, so we can all fight and have a church split over what's a soup and what's not a soup. Anyway, no, but we haven't picked out a date for that. But on the 31st, I think some are gonna be doing kind of like a game night type of thing here at the church building. So it'll just be like snacks and stuff like that. And so if you wanna come to that, you're more than welcome to. And so the doors will be open in that evening so that you can come and fellowship. And then we're gonna pick a date for this soup fellowship. And we'll have to figure that out. But it'll be on a Saturday at some point, in November. So as far as when that is, it's probably gonna be closer to Thanksgiving. Let me know if the Saturday before Thanksgiving works for people. I don't know. I feel like the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I don't know if that's gonna work or not. Everybody does Black Friday stuff, and there's all kinds of crazy stuff going on that weekend. So yeah, so anyway, we're gonna figure that out. But bring your soup, bring your pies. I'm coming for the pies, just to be honest with you. But yeah, so that should be fun there. And then our chapter memory for the month is 1 Thessalonians 1. And then Matthew 14, verse 25 is our memory verse for the week. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went up to them walking on the sea. And birthdays, We got, let's see. Did we sing Happy Birthday to my dad? I think we did, right? Yeah, okay. And I don't think we have any others this week. So, Brother Shane is on Monday. You're next week, so we'll get you next week. And then anniversary, he's got my parents on that. So yeah, they're out in Czechoslovakia, Austria right now. You may wonder why that's the case, but my mom's side of the family is straight up Austrian, Czechoslovakian. So my great grandparents, both her grandparents came off the boat over here. So yeah, if I look really Austrian, I tend to look like my mom. So I remember I was out at a restaurant one time, and this guy just came up to me, he's like, are you Austrian? And I'm like, what? You know, like, who are you? It was just some random older guy. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, I actually have a lot of Austrian in my background. I can tell, see it in your face. And that was the conversation we had, and then we walked off. So I mean, but I didn't know there was this Austrian look, you know? Anyway, so just being a prayer for them, obviously that they have safe travels and all that, and then on the pregnancy list there, my wife is on there. So just pray that everything's going well with the pregnancy, all that. Offering boxes in the back, mother baby rooms for the mothers and babies only. This afternoon, I'm gonna be starting a new series, Statement of Faith. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go through each point of our Statement of Faith and do a whole sermon about it. So this afternoon I'm kind of starting that, I'm just gonna go in order down that list. And so the idea is I wanna have a sermon attached to each point of the Statement of Faith. So if anybody's on our website and they're like, what does he mean by that? Or where does he really stand on this issue? There'll be a sermon attached to each one of those. So yeah, so be in your places for that. If you ever wonder what I think about, actually I think I've preached on pretty much every point of that at some point. But I'm gonna go line upon line going down through that. Brother Dave's gonna come sing one more song. And Brother Anthony is gonna be reading Matthew chapter 14 for us. All right, take your song books and turn to song number 20. Song number 20, and your song books will sing When I See the Blood. Wait, we didn't have any birthdays? No birthdays? Hey, your dad's birthday is this week. Your mom's Austrian? Which one on your parents is Italian? All right, yeah, kind of an inside joke, kind of. I mean, maybe, yeah, I would say you're like probably at least 30%. All right, all right, all right, we'll sing song number 20, When I See the Blood. Christ our Redeemer died on the cross, died for the sinner, paid all his due. All who receive him need never fear. Yes, he will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood, when I see the blood, when I see the blood, I will pass, I will pass over you. Chiefest of sinners, Jesus can save. As he hath promised, so will he do. Sinner, hear him, trust in his word. Then he will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood, when I see the blood, when I see the blood, I will pass, I will pass over you. Judgment is coming, all will be there. Who have rejected, who have refused? O sinner, hasten, let Jesus in. Then God will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood, when I see the blood, when I see the blood, I will pass, I will pass over you. O what compassion, O boundless love, Jesus hath power, Jesus is true. All who believe are saved from the storm. O he will pass, will pass over you. When I see the blood, when I see the blood, when I see the blood, I will pass, I will pass over you. All right, take your Bibles and turn to Matthew 14. Matthew 14, we'll have Brother Anthony read that for us. Matthew chapter 14, the Bible reads, at that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants, this is John the Baptist, he has risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John and bound him and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, it is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, give me here John the Baptist's head in a charger. And the king was sorry. Nevertheless, for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger and given to the damsel, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took up the body and buried it and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he departed then by ship into a desert placed apart. And when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him saying, this is a desert place, and the time is now past. Send the multitude away, that they may go into villages and buy them vittles. And Jesus said unto them, they need not depart. Give ye them to eat. And they said unto him, we have here but five loaves and two fishes. He said, bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass and took the five loaves and the two fishes. And looking up to heaven, he blessed and break and gave the loaves to his disciples and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat and were filled. And they took up of the fragments that remained 12 baskets full. And they that had eaten were about 5,000 men beside women and children. And straightway, Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and to go before him onto the other side while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit. And they cried out for fear. But straightway, Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately, Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou trouble? Wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, of a truth thou art the Son of God. And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all the country round about and brought unto him all that were deceased, and brought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment, and as many as touch were made perfectly whole. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your word, and thank you for this morning where we can gather and hear your word preached. I pray that you would be with Pastor Robinson and fill him with your Holy Spirit, and help us all to be edified this morning. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Amen. So you're there in Matthew chapter 14. And there's actually two really big stories here. But what I want you to focus on here is in chapter 14, verse 22. And I'm going to be preaching on when Jesus walked on water. So if you're going to think about a big story in the New Testament, or a big story with Jesus, I think him walking on water is one of the big stories. And so I'm kind of going through major stories in the Bible. And so especially for the children, so that you know, OK, I know the creation story. I know Noah and the flood. I know Jonah and the whale. And you know that Jesus walked on water. And obviously there's going to be other ones that we're going to be getting into. And I'm not really going in order, because obviously there's other ones in the Old Testament that I haven't hit on yet. But I just figured why not just go into the New Testament, get some in there. And so it's not just this down the line type of thing. So you never know where I'm going. You don't know what story I'm going into next. But here in verse 22, I just want you to first kind of get the idea of what's going on in the story before you get to the point where Jesus is walking on the water. But in verse 22 here, it says, In straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and to go before him onto the other side while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the evening was come, he was there alone. So get the picture here. He puts all his disciples in a ship. They go away. And then Jesus is sending all the multitudes away. And he goes up into a mountain. So they're completely separate from each other now. As far as Jesus is up on this mountain, and he's by himself alone, he's praying. And then his disciples are off in the sea in this ship. Okay, go down, go to Mark chapter six. So when you're thinking about this story, there's in a couple more gospels, there's this story, there's Mark chapter six, and then there's John chapter six, where you see the same story going on. But in Mark chapter six and verse 46, I just want to make it very clear that they are separate from each other, that Jesus wasn't in the ship with them. He didn't get on the ship with them. He is completely, they're in the sea, he's on land. Okay, notice what it says here, Mark chapter six and verse 46. And when he had sent them away, talking about the multitudes and everything, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when evening was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. It's not like the ship just set sail, they're in the midst of the sea, and he's still on land, and it's the evening. It's basically, it's dark. And that's the thing that I want to get, when you think about this story, how do you picture it, right? You know, when people think about Jesus walking on water, you think it's like a sunny day, and it's like just this calm water, just this flat water, and he's just walking on it, right? But it's not that at all, actually. One, it's night, so it's dark, okay? So I want you to get the picture as far as this story goes, as far as when Jesus is walking on water, this wasn't like a sunny day on a pond, or like on a lake somewhere, right? It's not like we just go up to Cheat Lake, and it was just like a sunny day, there's clouds, you know, like bright white clouds out, and then they saw Jesus walking on the water. That's not what happened. It's dark, it's at night, and notice, I just wanna make that very clear that it's dark because it's in the evening and all that, but go back to Matthew chapter 14, Matthew chapter 14 and verse 24, that basically what happens here is that when his disciples are on the ship, they get caught in a storm, okay? And so, I mean, if I was gonna get caught in a storm on the sea, I don't want it to be at night. Just me personally, I mean, just being out at sea at night in general, even if it isn't dark, is very kind of scary if you think about it, and the fact that just the abyss, right? The Bible calls the ocean the deep, you know, and it kind of just makes you think of like this big abyss of like, you know, water that goes down. I mean, when you're out in the midst of, let's say, the Atlantic, I mean, you're talking like you can go down miles into the ocean, and then you think of all the creatures that are out there, you know, all that, but in verse 24 here it says, but the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary, okay? So go to John chapter six, John chapter six. So they're tossed with waves, okay? So now they're on a ship, but it's not like they're just like kind of floating along, you know? Because no, I mean, when you're out in the sea, I don't think there's ever a time where you're just like sailing and it's just smooth sailing where there's no, you're gonna be moving along and bumping along on these waves. I mean, that's just the way that seas are, that's the way the ocean is. But they're being tossed all over the place, okay? And notice in John chapter six here, in verse 16, John chapter six and verse 16, it says, and when even was now come, his disciples went down onto the sea and entered into a ship and went over the sea toward Capernaum and it was now dark and Jesus was not come to them, okay? So if there's any doubt that it's dark, it's dark, okay? It's dark out, it's the evening, it's not like it's just the sun is setting, it's dark. And Jesus isn't with them at the moment, okay? And it says in verse 18, and the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew, okay? So obviously, basically you have this big wind that's coming through and it's just causing all the waves and everything to go crazy. But sometimes we read past this stuff, okay? When it says that there was like a tempest or it was a boisterous, we think about Jonah and the whale, right? But when you think about this, it says that the sea arose, okay? So you can imagine how like, now instead of just kinda bumping along through the sea, they're like going up, coming down, going up, coming down. And so it's not this just flat water that you're thinking about, okay? And it's dark, so I just want you to kinda get that visual that you're out on a boat and there's this great big storm that's hitting you and the wind is just going all over the place and you're kinda going up and down in this boat and probably afraid whether you're gonna even make it through this trip, okay? But go to Acts chapter 27. Acts chapter 27, there's another story in the Bible about someone being on a boat and basically a big tempest. Now, this is with Paul and this is the storm Urocladon, which sounds like a dinosaur, just to be honest with you. But basically, which is interesting too because they name hurricanes. You know what? The Bible named it, so I guess I'm okay with that. I forget why they come up or how they come up with names for hurricanes or why, you know, but everybody's just like, yep, that's the name. I don't know who picked these names, whatever. But anyway, there's this big storm that hits and the thing that I wanna get across here is that when all hope seems to be lost, that's usually when God steps in, okay? And what we see with this story that when Jesus walks on the water, it's on the fourth watch of the night, okay? So there's four watches throughout the night and this is on the last watch of the night. So they're going through this whole night and it's not till the fourth watch and that basically Jesus comes there and obviously we know the story, we just read it, that he gets on the ship, the whole sea calms and all that. But in Acts chapter 27, there's a phrase here that just kind of sticks out to me and makes me think of this story as well. In verse 20 here, it says, and when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. So I want you to think about that. I mean, they were out there for days, not seeing a star, not seeing the sun, I mean, just darkness. Okay, that's how bad this storm was for Paul. And basically he's saying all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. They're just like, we just lost all hope. But then what happens? Verse 21, it says, but after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me and not have loosed from Crete and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you but of the ship. And it says, for there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee, wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me. Sound familiar? What does Jesus say? Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid, in this story. But the idea here is that when all hope seems to be lost, that's when God steps in, okay? So the idea, you know, when you say, well, what's the point of the story? Obviously it's a cool story to see, and know that this actually happened, but also just know, hey, how does this apply to us? Well, sometimes God's gonna seem like he's far off from us. It's gonna seem like it's just dark, basically you're losing all hope that you're gonna get out of a certain situation. But wait till that fourth watch. I mean, keep going, and keep rowing, and God will come through. Now, go to Matthew chapter 14. Matthew chapter 14. Matthew chapter 14. Like I said, the fourth watch is when this is taking place, when Jesus actually walks on the water. And so, notice what it says here in verse 25. It says, and in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is the Spirit, and they cried out for fear. But straightway, Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. So, notice that it's the fourth watch. They've been out there for a while, okay? Go to John chapter six, just to give you an idea. And I preached a whole, I preached a sermon dealing with end times prophecy and all this stuff where I kinda touched on how far they were, where they were going, okay? So, they were going to Capernaum, and they were on the Sea of Galilee. And if you map out where they were starting from, where they were going, and you look at how far they rode, they're a little past halfway, okay? To their destination, they're a little past halfway. So, just giving you an idea there. But it took them from, you know, when they got in the ship at evening to the fourth watch in the night, which you're approaching morning at that point, right? That they are basically a little past halfway of where they're trying to get to, okay? And at this point, I mean, you're probably wondering, are we gonna make it on this trip? Are we gonna make it there, okay? In John chapter six and verse 19, it says, so when they had rode about five and 20 or 30 furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea and drawing nigh unto the ship, and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, it is I, be not afraid, okay? So, when this happens, it's at the fourth watch in the night, it's still dark, so when Jesus is walking on the water, is it just like a sunny day? Is everything just like, you know, rainbows and sunshine when this happens? No, it's actually dark, it's ominous, it's the seas raging, if you will, and Jesus is walking on the water. And when they see him, they're not just like, oh, wow, that's amazing, they're terrified. Because they see Jesus walking on the water, and they just think it's like some kind of like spirit, you know, like basically there's no way that there's like a flesh and blood person standing out there walking on the water, okay? The thing that's interesting about this too is it doesn't say he's like hopping on the water, you know, like jumping from like, from billow to billow, you know, but he's walking on it. And so, he's completely calm and what, you know, he's out there, he's not just like, where am I at? You know, like walking and jumping and all this other stuff. No, he's just walking on that water. Which is, I'm sure if you were out there and you saw that, you'd be frightened too. Like, what in the world, what is that? Okay, who is that? You know, so the idea here is that when Jesus is walking on the water, when did he do it? What did it look like? What picture, and listen, I'm guilty of having wrong pictures in my mind about certain events. Where when I think, honestly, when I think about Jesus walking on the water, I think of a sunny day, him walking on the water, you know? I'm not thinking about it being dark, ominous, the waves going all over the place. Like, I just have been put a picture in my mind that's not real. And part of that has to do with, you know, TV and movies and stuff like that that put false pictures in your mind. Okay, because like, listen, people have tried, you know, there's been movies where people will walk on water and try to parody, if you will, what Jesus did. And it's never in the situation that he actually did it. Okay, where it's like this storm, it's dark, and basically this boat's going all over the place. It's getting tossed to and fro, okay? So I just want you to get an idea of, okay, when he did this, he didn't just walk on water like there was a pool over there, and he just walked on it. He's walking on the sea, okay? And he's walking on the sea when you would think that no one would want to even be near the sea, okay? Go to Mark chapter six, Mark chapter six, Mark chapter six. And I want you to think about this too, because Jesus is on a mountain, the ship is in the sea. Before he comes down to them, he's watching them, okay? So whenever you think, oh, you know, like this time in my life is, you know, there's no hope, all hope is lost, you know, where's God at, know this is that God is watching you. God, it's not like God is just like, I had no idea what you were going through. I had no idea, like, God knows what you're going through, and maybe he isn't helping you like you want him to right at that moment, he isn't a very present help and time of need at that moment, but he's watching you, he's looking out for you, and notice what it says in verse 48, so Mark chapter six and verse 48. And he saw them toiling and rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them, and about the fourth watch of the night, he cometh unto them. So he sees them, okay? And what you have to say, like, obviously, for him to see them out there when it's dark like that, you gotta understand that, I mean, this story really does exemplify, I'm gonna get into, that he's God, that Jesus is God. But I want you to think about these, on top of a mountain, they're in the midst of the sea, and where they're at, if you think about the distance, they're like past three miles out into that sea, okay? You know, they're like three miles out there, it's dark, it's in the middle of the night, and he sees them rowing and toiling and rowing, okay? So Jesus is obviously God here, he can see that, he can see what's going on. I mean, tonight, I mean, do you doubt he's God when he's walking on the sea? But I just want you to see this aspect here, this whole story is just exemplifying the fact that Jesus is God, he's not just a man, and he sees them, and then he comes unto them, okay? Walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. This is very interesting, I mean, this whole verse right here really gives you, okay, why is he doing this? Right, but you may ask the question here, like, Jesus obviously put him in the ship, you think Jesus didn't know this was going to happen? Obviously, I believe he knew this was gonna happen, and a lot of times, he'll put his disciples in the situation for the sole purpose of teaching a lesson or showing them something, right? So he's watching them, and the whole night goes by, he could have come out there at any moment, right? He could have come whenever he wanted to come out there and save them, but he waits till the fourth watch of the night, why? Probably to get them to get to the point where no one could help them by God, right? The idea of, like, why would God wait to deliver you from something, because when you're at that point where you're like, all hope is lost, there's no way we can be saved, then when you're saved, you're like, that had to be God. There's no way that was man, there's no way that wasn't anything but God when that happened, okay? So when you ask yourself, like, why does he, bring you to your breaking point, there's a reason, okay? And second, it makes you stronger, because tribulation works with patience, and patience, experience, and experience hope, and I'm probably saying that in a backwards way, but as far as that verse goes. But basically, we glory in tribulations, why? Because, you know, we get patience and experience from those tribulations, and then that gives us hope, because then later on, when we go through another tribulation or trial, we're like, well, I went through this over here, this isn't even a big deal now. Or maybe you're going through the same thing as like, well, I know I'm going to get through this, I know God's gonna bring me through this, because I've already been through something like this before. Okay? But when it comes to this, it's very interesting that he, it says, would have passed by them, okay? Verse 49, it says, but when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out, for they all saw him, and were troubled, and immediately he talked with them, and said unto them, be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. Okay? So the thing that I get from this is that, when you're in trials and tribulations, you need to be watching for the Savior, you need to be looking for him, okay? Go to 1 Peter chapter four, 1 Peter chapter four, and there is a lot to do with this story, and how this applies to us in the last days, if you will, and the fact that how this pictures, how we're gonna go through great tribulation, and it's gonna be that aspect of like, it's like the fourth watch of the night, all hope is lost, I mean, God even says that if he hadn't shortened the days, there should no flesh be saved, right? But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened, meaning this is that, you know, he shortens this trip, okay, I'll get to that, where he shortens this trip, okay, that they're going on, and the idea here is that if he didn't, you know, all hope would be lost, and 1 Peter chapter four and verse seven here, it says this, it says, but the end of all things is at hand, be therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. There's something that's brought up over and over and over again in the New Testament, and that is watch, watch, watch, watching and prayer. Now when you think of watch, okay, what do you think about? You're watching something, you're looking at it, right? I mean, the whole thing here is that it's at the fourth watch of the night that he comes out. I don't think that's by accident it says that, okay? It could've just said, it's the, you know, sometimes it'll talk about how it's approaching dawn, or, you know, it's late in the evening, or whatever. It could've said anything like that, but it's saying it's the fourth watch of the night. That means they were watching in the first watch, they were watching in the second watch, they were watching in the third watch. Fourth watch of the night, still watching. What if they didn't see Jesus out there, though? What if they weren't ready? They weren't looking, they weren't sober, okay? Uh, Matthew chapter 14 says this in verse 38, dealing with prayer. Go to Matthew chapter 14, because then we're gonna go to Matthew chapter 13. Matthew chapter 14 and verse 38. Matthew chapter 14 and verse 38. So, I don't, you know, maybe you haven't noticed that, that Jesus basically came unto them. It says that he saw them toiling, and he's coming to them, but then it says that he would have passed by them. It doesn't say that he went as it were as he was going to pass by them. Does that make sense? When he's on the road to Emmaus, you remember, he's talking to the two guys, and it says that he went as if he would go past them, right? And it's really a test to see, are you gonna invite him in? Are you gonna, you know, basically lodge him and all that, and obviously they did, but it doesn't say that he went as he was going to go past them. No, it says that he would have passed them, meaning that if they wouldn't have said anything, if they wouldn't have saw him, he was gonna walk past them. That's very interesting on what's being said there. Now, in Mark chapter 14, verse 38, it says, watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The Spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. Now, when I'm talking about watching, and I'm talking about being saved, like losing all hope and being saved, spiritually speaking, in the end times, if you don't watch, and you're not waiting, and you're not ready, you're still going to heaven, you're still gonna be raptured out, if you make it to that point, but here's the problem. Will you make it to the rapture if you're not watching and waiting? Does that make sense? Because when it's talking about being ready, it says the Spirit is ready, right? The Spirit is ready, your soul is ready, but is your flesh ready, though? Because it says the Spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak. When we're talking about being saved here, are we talking about the disciples being saved from hell? Or are we talking about them being physically saved? Being physically saved from perishing, physically and dying physically? When we're talking about end times, when it talks about being ready and watching, and it says, he that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved, what does that talk about? Flesh being saved, being saved physically out of tribulation, and if you're not watching and waiting, you may not get saved from it, meaning this is that you may actually die before Jesus comes in the clouds. But in Mark chapter 13 and verse 33, when I think of like, when it says watch, I think of Mark 13, okay? I mean, Mark 13, and obviously Mark 13 is dealing with end times prophecy and is dealing with Jesus coming the second time, but notice what it says here in verse 33. It says, take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is. So the idea here is that you don't really know when the time is, so just watch all the time. Be ready all the time, okay? And especially dealing with tribulation, I mean, some people ask, are we in the tribulation? I mean, is it started now? Could be. I don't think so at the moment, personally. I think that there's gonna be things that are gonna be a little more, like, gonna perk up my years a lot more, okay? They start build, they build the temple and they start doing sacrifices, my years are gonna perk up. Now, I'm not gonna know for sure until the abomination desolation happens, but right now, I don't think we're in it, you know? Like, we're gonna have to have some wars, we're gonna have to have some world wars, you know, world wars gonna have to start before I'm really like, okay, this might be it. But as of right now, I don't think we're in, we've started any type of, like, beginning of sorrows or anything like that, okay? But you know what? I still need to be watching. I still need to be ready. I still need to be watching as if, like, hey, we're going into it, let's say tomorrow, you know? Let's say this coming year, right? In Mark chapter 13, verse 34, it says, "'For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey "'who left his house and gave authority to his servants.'" Sound familiar to the story? Where'd Jesus go? He went up into the high mountain and he put his disciples in a ship by themselves. And so, do you see the separation here? Obviously, Jesus going up, and he's seated at the right hand of the Father, he's up in heaven right now, and we're down here on the earth. He went on to the Father, and we're being sent out into the world, and you have that same picture, okay? And now, eventually, when the end comes, he's coming for us, right? He's coming down to us. And he's gonna end up saving us, you know, obviously physically, and we're gonna have the, we're gonna have the resurrection and all that. But keep reading there, it says, "'And to every man his were, "'and commanded the porter to watch.'" Verse 35, "'Watch ye therefore, "'for ye know not when the master of the house cometh "'at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, "'or in the morning, lest coming suddenly "'he find you sleeping, and what I say unto you "'I say unto all, watch.'" Now, you may ask yourself, well, you know, if he finds you sleeping, are you going to hell? Well, no, obviously, you know, we believe in eternal security, salvation by grace through faith, but what's the consequences of not watching? Well, the one consequence of not watching is you may not make it to when he comes, right? When people are being, Christians are being killed en masse and you're not aware of what's going on and you're not watching and waiting and having that protection of God on you because you're living for him and doing what you should be doing, you might not make it, okay, because you aren't watching. But two, go to Luke chapter 12, and this really gets into the difference, you know, there's two stories, and we've already hit these stories, so kids, you should remember these stories, Noah in the flood and Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, okay? These two examples are brought up when it comes to end times and the tribulation and all that. Which guy was better, okay? Now, both Noah and Lot are saved, okay? They're both in heaven, okay? But who did a, who was, like, who's a better character? If you're like, you know, like young men, would you be like, I wanna be Lot? Is anyone naming their children Lot? You know? There might be a Lot out there, there might be a Judas out there somewhere, but no one's usually like, I like Lot, man, he's a good Bible character, I wanna be like him. But Noah, on the other hand, a lot of people would be like, Noah's cool, I like Noah, and they like that, and a lot of people name their kids Noah, okay? Here's why. Noah watched Lot didn't. Was Lot saved from Sodom and Gomorrah? Yeah, he was. Noah was saved from the flood, here's the difference. Noah and his whole house was saved from the flood. Lot, not so much. Right? I mean, he at least lost two daughters. And then his wife turned into a pillar of salt. Noah, his whole family, his wife, his three sons, and their three wives were all saved, okay? Now, in Luke chapter 12 here in verse 35, it says, "'Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning, "'and ye yourselves liken the men that wait for their Lord.'" Remember, he's on a far journey, and when you think about the Lord, you think about how he's basically, he's far away, he's doing something, but he's coming back, okay? That's what it's likening it unto. He's like, he's on a far journey, but he's coming back. I mean, he's basically, he's just giving you charge for a period of time, but he's coming back. And it says, "'You're waiting for your Lord, right, "'when he will return from the wedding, "'and when he cometh and knocketh, "'they may open unto him immediately. "'Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, "'when he cometh, shall find watching. "'Barely I say unto you, that he shall gird himself "'and make them to sit down to meet, "'and will come forth and serve them. "'And if he shall come in the second watch, "'or come in the third watch, and find them so, "'blessed are those servants.'" Now, we know in this story, when did he come? On the fourth watch. But here's the thing. Should we just look at this and be like, listen, we only need a watch in the fourth watch, right? This is that whole mentality of like, yeah, I'm not doing anything right now, I'm not living for the Lord right now, but when I see that antichrist, I'm gonna start soul winning, I'm gonna start really just living for the Lord. No, you're not. You might not even be there, actually. You might actually die before you even get to that point. Because don't tell me that you're gonna have the protections of the Lord on you in this world when you're not living for him, when you're not keeping his commandments and getting those blessings that come upon that, okay? I'm not saying that person isn't saved. I'm not saying they're not in heaven when they die. But what I'm saying here is that we don't know if it's gonna be the second watch, third watch, fourth watch, right? The idea here is that we're watching the whole time. Where our loins are girded about, and our lights are burning, we're watching, we're waiting, okay? And I'm not talking about this superficial, like, when you see me looking up in the sky, it's like, well, what are you looking at? Well, I'm just looking for the Savior. Right, you've probably heard the pre-trib, you know, like, just staring up in the sky, what are you looking at, Pastor? I'm just watching. Listen, when I'm talking about watching, I'm not talking about, like, I'm looking up in the clouds looking for Jesus to come down right now, okay? Certain things have to happen. When we're talking about watching and waiting, we're talking about being ready. Being ready for what's about to happen. And what we need to be ready for is for, you know, the anti-Christ, and we need to be ready and watching that we don't go into temptation so that we're living for the Lord, winning people to Christ, doing great exploits for God. And whenever that happens, whether it's the first watch, second watch, third watch, fourth watch, whether it's in the morning, listen, when Jesus comes, know this, is that it's gonna be at night and day because the earth is round. So when you say, well, you know, it happened at night, yeah, for you, not for China, okay? I don't know, you know, when it's gonna happen, but it may be in the middle of the day here, but it's gonna be at night somewhere else, okay? And the idea here is that we don't really know when that's gonna happen, but when you're going through that tribulation, listen, we're just watching, we're waiting, we're being ready, okay? And so, but keep reading there, it says in verse 39, it says, and this know that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be therefore ready also for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when you think not. Now, let's apply this to this story, okay? They saw Jesus, he was gonna walk past them, but they saw him. Now, I want you to think about this, that means they must have been looking for him. I mean, when Jesus puts you on, if you were his disciple and he puts you on a ship and your ship is just getting tossed all over the place, he stays on a mountain somewhere, you're probably looking for him to save you, right? You're like, is he gonna come, is something miraculous gonna happen, and you're just like, Jesus, where are you? Where are you, Jesus? You know, like, they're probably looking for him the whole night, but they didn't know, you know, in their minds, one, you could probably lose him and be like, maybe he isn't gonna come. You know, maybe we just gotta get through this, right? And there isn't gonna be some miraculous event, but either way, they were looking that whole night, they were watching that whole night, and when he did walk by, they saw him. But if they weren't watching, you know, maybe they would have perished in that storm. Or maybe they would have got through the storm, but there wouldn't have been this miraculous event that they got to witness, where they were saved miraculously from it, okay? Because you have the physical story, but then you also see what does it represent, and I do believe it very much represents how we're gonna go through great tribulation in the end, and how Jesus is gonna save us out of that. And go to, go to Psalm 90, Psalm 90. Psalm 90, and some may say, well, listen, it's been like 2,000 years since Jesus was walking on the earth. You know, they think it could happen in our day, you know? Well, listen, for 2,000 years, people have been wondering if it's gonna be in their time. And maybe it isn't gonna be in our time, okay? Maybe it's gonna be 100 years from now. Maybe it's 50 years from now. Maybe, maybe, children, it'll be in your day, when you're in your prime, and it's time for you to pick up the mantle. Maybe it'll be in your day, and I'll be like 80. Maybe like, Lord, just, I don't care how I die, you know? I'm, you know, just take me out now, you know? However you wanna do it. Whereas, you know, when you're like, when I'm like in my 30s, I'm like, let's go! You know, and you're just, and I wanna see, I wanna look up and lift up my head for my redemption draw and I see the Lord in the clouds. The idea here is that we don't really know when it's gonna happen. I personally believe it will be in my lifetime. Just if things continue as they are, and things keep going downhill, the exponential rate of decline in our world, I could definitely see it happening in our time, okay? But, maybe not. Maybe, maybe it'll be a little later, okay? Psalm 90 and verse four here, it says, For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday. When it is past, I'm sorry, when it is past, and as a watch in the night. So it says yesterday when it is past. So basically, to God, yesterday, when it's past, like think about yesterday, right? Saturday, I don't know what you did, I don't really care what you did yesterday, but think about yesterday, what you did yesterday, that's like a thousand years passing to God, okay? Whereas we were like, that was just a day, you know, that was not, that flew by. Well to God, that's like a thousand years. And it's as a watch in the night, okay? Now when you think about, go to 2 Peter chapter three, 2 Peter chapter three, that it's been like a thousand years, or 2,000 years since Jesus was on the earth. I mean, think about it, Jesus was born at year zero, right? Let's just say our calendar is completely correct, which I just happen to believe, okay? That when we're 2,022, we're 2,022 years since the birth of Christ, okay? And when it comes to that, we're almost 2,000 years to the T when Jesus would have risen from the dead. Okay, I mean, think about it, like if he was 30, about 30 years old when he began his ministry, and if you count the Passovers that he went through, you know, as far as the feast, the Passover that records him going through, he's about 33 years old, okay? Maybe a little over 33, but he was probably around 33 years old when he died and rose again. That means that we're approaching 2,000 years since the resurrection, okay? Almost 2,000 years of the New Testament, if you will, okay? Not quite yet. And I'm not a date setter, I'm not a date setter, you're just saying at 2,033, Jesus is coming back. Not saying that, okay? What I'm trying to make a point here, though, is what does it say here in 2 Peter 3 in verse eight? It says, but, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is what the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. So to the Lord, just as much as a thousand years is like yesterday, okay? When yesterday is gone, that's like a thousand years has passed in his mind. And it's saying that a thousand years is one day, I don't believe this is put here for no reason because it's talking about how they're basically saying, where is the promise of his coming? That's the premise of this chapter, and the whole thing that's stated here is that a thousand years is one day and one day is a thousand years, okay? And I bet, just so you know, if you were on that ship and you're out in that sea and everything is just going all over the place, that one day is like a thousand years to you. When you're in those troubleless times and things are going crazy and you think you're gonna die, like, a minute feels like an eternity. But to Jesus who's on the mountain, right, and he's watching, I mean, it's just three watches of the night, you know, and on the fourth watch, he comes. Does that make sense? The perspective here of what we're dealing with, but it says, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but his long suffering to us, we're not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. You may ask your question, why is he waiting so long? Why has it been close to 2,000 years? Because he's waiting for the precious fruit of the earth. And as a husband of men, he has long patience for it, and he's not slack concerning his promise, he just wants as many people to get saved as possible. And I believe when Jesus comes, it's gonna be the best time for him to come to where everybody's heard the gospel, that everybody's had an opportunity to hear it, and that, you know what, that's the time, that's the best time for it to happen, okay? It's gonna happen in his time, and it says, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works thereof shall be burned up. So when it comes to Jesus coming, it's going to happen, maybe it won't happen in our day, okay? I personally believe it probably will, okay? And either way, it doesn't really matter, because the way I'm gonna live is as if it does happen in my day, right? I'm gonna prepare as if, listen, that beginning of SARS is gonna happen in my day, I gotta be ready for it. That great tribulation's gonna happen in my day, I gotta be ready for it. And listen, if it doesn't, do you think I'm gonna regret being ready for it? I mean, the idea, let's say you wanna be a pastor one day, and you're like, hey, I'm gonna prepare and be ready to be a pastor, and then it turns out you're just like, nah, that's actually not the route I wanna go, I wanna go this route, and I'm gonna serve the Lord this way. You're gonna regret all that time you prepared to be a pastor, you're gonna regret all the Bible that you read, all the Bible you memorized, the doctrines you learned, you're gonna be like, ah, that was a waste. No one would say that, right? I mean, all those people I went to Christ because I was preparing for the end, I was wanting to do great exploits, you know what, I could've just relaxed, and no one ever after all of that is gonna be like, man, I wish I just would've taken it easy and not done anything, right? So in the end, it's not gonna be without reward, but go to John chapter six and verse 21. Back to the story here. When they see Jesus walking on the water, they're afraid at first, they're just like, what in the world? And on a human level, you can understand where they're coming from, okay? But Jesus says, be of good cheer, it is I, be not troubled. This sounds very familiar to a verse in John chapter 16 where it says, in the world you should have tribulation, in me you should have peace, in the world you should have tribulation, but be of what? Good cheer, I have overcome the world. So the idea of having cheer and tribulation, why, because we have a hope. And it actually even calls Jesus the blessed hope, and it talks about how we're looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. So John chapter six, verse 21, it says, then they willingly received him into the ship. So when they find out it's Jesus, they're just like willingly receiving him into the ship, and notice what it says here, and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. Don't look past that, okay? He gets into the ship, immediately it's where they're supposed to be. They're in the midst of the sea. I mean, the Bible says they're in the midst of the sea. You know what midst means? In the middle, right? Maybe not the exact middle, but you're in the midst of it, right? You're nowhere near land at that point. You're not near where you started. You're not near where you're supposed to be, okay? Jesus gets in the ship, they're immediately where they're supposed to be. Sound familiar? When Jesus comes in the clouds, we're immediately, in the moment, in a twinkling of an eye, right? We're changed, we're caught up with him together in the clouds, and we're immediately at our destination. So you can obviously see how that would tie in, but this is a miraculous event on so many accounts, right? I mean, Jesus walking on the water. I mean, that's miraculous. Jesus being on a mountain, seeing them toiling, and coming down to them, and seeing that from that far away in the dark when there's this storm going on, that's miraculous. But then, when he gets in the ship, it doesn't stop there. You know, they're immediately where they're supposed to be. That's not the only thing that happens when he gets into the ship, okay? But let's back up real quick. Before he gets into the ship, okay? Notice in Matthew chapter 14, and Matthew records this, that Peter actually had faith to go out to him. Now, I want you to think about what it was like when this is going on. It's not a sunny day. The water isn't just like billowing a little bit, you know? We're talking about, at this point, the storm is raging, the wind is blowing, they're being tossed to and fro in the ship, and notice what it says here in verse 28. And Peter answered him and said, "'Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.'" So Peter's like, if it's you, then let me come out there to you. Now, that puts a little more gravity on this situation, right? Because I've heard a lot of people, they'll look at the story and they'll just be like, Peter, if he just had more faith, who else in that ship had faith to come out to him? Do you see anybody else saying, hey, Lord, if it's you, I'll come out there. Do you see John going out there? Do you see James going out there? Do you see any of the other disciples going out there? So before you judge Peter too harshly here, he got out of the ship. There's two people in the Bible here that are walking on water. Jesus, but then he allows Peter to. And notice that just the faith that Peter would have here, in verse 29 it says, and he said, come. And I love this because Jesus doesn't say, no, listen, Peter, that's only for me. I'm God. No, he's like, come. Because you know what the Bible says? It talks about how Jesus did great works, right? But it says greater works that you do. Talking about the Holy Ghost coming and I believe greater meaning like more in magnitude as far as the amount that's gonna be done by us with the Holy Ghost and obviously being filled with the Spirit and all that. It says, come, and when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. So that's miraculous that Jesus was walking on water, but he also made a human being, not God, walk on the water, okay? And it says, but, notice this, when he saw the wind boisterous, now boisterous just means like it's like crazy, you know what I mean, it's just going all over the place, it's strong, so he sees the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him. So I want you to see that obviously Peter here has this great faith to go out and walk on this water. He sees the wind and he's afraid and he starts sinking. You know what that is, it's doubt. He's doubting what's going on here and he's doubting he's gonna survive in the midst of the sea, but in that, even when you lack faith, because it says, Jesus says unto him and said unto him, O thou little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? So even when you're going through, like you could be doing great things for God, listen, we all doubt, we all have times where we falter, even when we're doing great things for God or we're trying to do great things for God, we can still doubt, but in those times, it's not like God's just gonna hang us out the dry, right? We're like putting ourselves out there and be like, hey, Lord, I wanna do these great things, I'm putting myself out there, and then you in the flesh, you doubt. You're just like, is this gonna work out? And then you start sinking, right? Well, just ask him to help you, and boom, like that, immediately, Jesus is grabbing his hand. Now, for someone to think that this is when Peter got saved, it's pretty ridiculous, okay? Considering when he saves him, he says, O ye of little faith. What, you know, yeah, that is the text verse for how you get saved, right? Be of little faith, right? The idea here is that we're talking about someone that's already saved, but he had this great faith to go out there, but then he doubted, but what caused him to doubt? Well, he saw the storm, right? He took his focus off of Jesus and put it on the storm, okay? You're going through some hard time, you're going through tribulations, don't focus on the storm, focus on the Savior. You know, in Joshua, I won't go there for the sake of time, in Joshua chapter one, it talks about how we're supposed to keep his commandments and not let the law depart out of our heart, out of our mouth, we're supposed to meditate upon it, we'll have good success, but it's basically saying that we turn not to the left or to the right, okay? Basically, when you're going through tribulation, what you need to see is the Savior, that's your hope, right? And you put blinders onto what's around you, okay? You're obviously in it, I'm not saying like you're not gonna know that you're like out in the midst of the sea when it's raging, okay? But the idea here is that you don't just like focus on this and be like, ah, and then you sink, and you're just like, and you fret, you worry, and then you falter, but if you just kept your eye on, if he would've kept his eye on Jesus and not looked at the storm, I believe he would've right out to where he was at, okay? We don't know how far he made it, you know, as far as that goes, was he like halfway there, and he's just, you know, at that point you're like, can't go back to the ship, he's all the way out there, and then he sees the storm and he's just like, ah, and then he starts sinking, okay? Puts a little more gravity when he starts sinking too, right, because you're like, he's a fisherman, can't he swim, right? I mean, he's like sinking, and he's like, save me. I mean, it's not like Peter, I don't think Peter couldn't swim, actually we know he could swim, because when Jesus is appearing to them after his resurrection, he's for some reason naked in the ship, and he throws himself into the sea and swims back to shore, okay? So we know he can swim, okay? But why is he saying save me? Because he's out in the middle of the storm when it's dark, and it's beating their ship to the point where they think they're going to die, and he's out in the middle of it now, okay? A little more gravity, right? It's not just this, like, he's sinking, he's like, I can't swim, and then he's like, no, it's like, I'm going to die. Like, if he's out there with no help, he would die out there, okay? I don't care if you're Michael Phelps, you're probably not making it back to the ship, right? Now, go back to Matthew chapter 14, Matthew chapter 14. The last thing I want to get to here is that, and I've kind of already touched on this, but this really does show us that Jesus is God, okay? And they recognize this, okay? So when he gets back in the ship, I mean, the fact that he's walking on water, then Peter goes out there and starts walking on water, right, they see their friends start walking on water out to Jesus, okay? He gets into the ship, they're immediately at the shore, but also, it talks about how the wind ceases, right? So I mean, not only at the shore, but it's like, the whole thing's done, it's calm, okay? But one, you know, it says in Matthew chapter 14 verse 25, it says, and in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out, went unto them, walking on the sea. I want you to think about it. Now, when you talk about walking on the water, it does say that Peter walked on the water, but when we're talking about that, we're talking about the sea in general, go to Job chapter nine, Job chapter nine, Job chapter nine, and just to kind of show you a couple verses here, and then we'll be done as far as how this ties into Jesus being God, okay? Now, if you're out soloing and you're like, prove to me that Jesus is God, I'm probably not gonna go to these passages and cross-reference the fact that God treads upon the sea, Jesus treaded upon the sea, right? You know, God will silence the wind, Jesus silenced the wind, right? These are definitely good proofs that Jesus is God, but that's not the big ones I'm gonna go to, right? I'm gonna go to like, Hebrew chapter one, verse eight, I'm gonna go to John one, one, you know, I'm gonna go to passages that are just explicitly saying like, he's God, okay? But it's always good to see like, okay, this is a proof that he's God, this is a way that he showed his disciples he's God. In Job chapter nine, verse one, it says, and Job answered and said, I know it is of a truth, but how should man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength, who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered, which removeth the mountains, and thou know not, which overturneth them and his anger, which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble, which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and sealeth up the stars, which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. Okay, now, obviously all that attributes to Jesus, but we see in the New Testament, a story where he's literally treading upon the waves of the sea, okay? So when they see him out there, like, that's God, right? You can look at Job nine and be like, yep, that's God. That's a proof that he's God. And then, and go back to Matthew chapter 14, Matthew chapter 14, another thing there is that, which we haven't really talked about, is that when he gets into the ship, the wind ceases. Now, there's another place in the Bible where they're in the ship, and Jesus is sleeping in the midst of the ship, he's with them, and it's a storm, and they're like, we perish, and it's kind of a similar story, but Jesus is with them in that story, and then he says, peace be still, right? And it ceases. So there's actually two occasions where the wind ceases that Jesus causes the wind to cease. But in Matthew chapter 14, verse 32, it says, and when they were coming to the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, of the truth, thou art the Son of God. So they're just like, I mean, at this point, they're like, he's God, he's the Son of God. And when they say he's the Son of God, they're like, he's not God's son, like what a lot of people think these days, when they're saying the Son of God, they mean like, well, he's not God, but he's like, he was born of God, and all this, and what does that even mean, when it comes to what they're even saying with that? When they say the Son of God, even the Pharisees that didn't believe knew that that meant that he was calling God his Father, making himself equal with God. So even the people that hated him, wanted him to die, they knew what he meant when he said, I'm the Son of God. I'm the Son of the Blessed, right? And they're like, oh, you know, John Hagee, he's like, he never admitted that he was the Messiah. He didn't come to be the Messiah. Yeah, right. The Bible said, they asked him point blank, art thou the Son of the Blessed? And he says, I am. And the woman at the well says, we know that Messiah's cometh, which is called Christ. And he says, I am he. Basically, I that speak unto thee am he. And to the man that was blind, all that, okay? So it's not like he never admitted that he was the Son of God. Actually, what did Peter say? It says, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And he says, and he rebuked him and said, what are you thinking? No, he said, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed the Son to thee, but my Father which is in heaven. The idea there is that he didn't deny it, okay? And in this case, they were just stating it. Like, he's the Son of God. And I'll just give you a verse on this and we'll be done. In Psalm 89, Psalm 89, go to Psalm 89, verse eight. But I hope this story kind of sticks out to you children and adults, okay? Because obviously, this story is a great story for us adults to have hope and time of tribulation and all that. But children, you should remember, hey, when Jesus walked on the water, was it a sunny day? No. Yeah, it was dark, right? And when Jesus walked on the water, it wasn't just this like calm sea either. It was all going all over the place. So when you think about this story, I want you to think about it on a biblical perspective, right? This is exactly the way the Bible says it and not have this skewed view of what's going on with it. And also, this happened, okay? This isn't just some fairytale. Jesus literally walked on the sea in this story. Peter walked on the sea with him and obviously, he didn't make it all the way out to him, but Jesus saved him from drowning out there. Psalm 89 verse eight here says, "'O Lord, God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee, or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea. When the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.'" Now, when it talks about this whole story, what happened? The wind caused the sea to rise, right? And what did he do? He stilled it. So there's many miracles within this story besides him just walking on the water. I mean, the fact that the ship is just immediately at the shore where they're supposed to be, that when he gets to the sea, I mean, they're like, they're getting tossed to and fro all night long, and then all of a sudden Jesus gets in the ship, it's just like calm, calm, and they're at shore, right? I mean, that story is miraculous. And so in a story that we should know, and listen, adults too, you know, I forget what sermon I preached on when I was talking about this, but just the timing of the rapture is even in this story. Like when it's gonna happen within that 70th week, the timing of it is in this story. And just all the implications and all the levels of knowledge you can get from this story, don't just set it aside and be like, I know that Jesus walked on water, I know that story. The question is, do you know that story? How well do you know that story? Children, you should just know the story. Just as much as you know Jonah got swallowed by a whale, and you know that Noah built an ark and put all the animals on it, you should know that Jesus walked upon the water, and that he was declaring himself to be God when that happened, and he saved his disciples from physical death. And that's a major story in the Bible, okay? And we need to know that. And obviously I'm gonna be going through different stories as well as we go down the line. You don't know where I'm going now. You thought you knew. You're like, oh, I know what's next. We're going into Moses, or we're gonna talk about Joseph. You don't know. I might be on Elijah next week, you never know. So let's end with a word prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for today. Thank you for your word, and just pray that you'd be with us for the rest of this day as we go out soul-winding and come back at a point in time. And Lord, just pray that you'd help us to know this story well, and especially I pray that the children know these stories and that when they're reading these stories, they'll know of them and just think about them. And Lord, just pray that you'd be with us again throughout the rest of the day in Jesus Christ's name, amen. So since this is a big Bible story, let's see who was paying attention. Now, I didn't forewarn you, but all the more, I got some candy, and we're gonna do some questions. So we'll just do a few questions here real quick. Let's see here. Do you remember where was Jesus when they were in the sea on the ship? On a mountain, that's right. What would you like? There's like all kinds of things from like Reese's to, I mean, you're close, you can just look at it. Cow tail. Are you like, is everybody just gathering these cow tails so they can make a really big cow tail? Is that what's going on? Let's see here. What happened, just tell me one thing, and I'll count it. What happened when Jesus got on the ship? Michael? Okay. Okay, anyone else? There's a couple things that happened. Yes, Clara? Yes, it was calm, it was still, right? What would you like, do you want a cow tail too, or do you want like a Reese's or a Kit Kat or something? A Reese's? That's right, he's my daughter. You gonna share this with me? Didn't answer. All right, one more question. Let's see here. Who walked out on the water to meet Jesus? I think I saw Adam's hand first, sorry. Peter, that's right. What would you like? Cow tail. Cow tail. Cow tail. All right, so we'll do like three questions, I think that's good. And then, yeah, so when I go through these big stories, you better be listening up so you can get a piece of candy. But Brother Dave's gonna come and sing one more song, and then we'll be dismissed. All right. All right, song number 48 in your song books. Song number 48, we'll sing I'll Be So Glad. That's a long one. All right, if you would stand, we'll sing song number 48. I'll be so glad when day is done. I'll be so glad when victory's won. There'll be no sorrow when God's tomorrow. I'll be so glad when Jesus comes. You are dismissed. Thank you.