Be of Good Cheer! It is I; Do Not Be Afraid...

 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.—Mark 6:47-52

“Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”  Allow these beautiful words of Jesus to penetrate your fearful, fretting heart this morning. He is with us in an even greater way than He was with the disciples, for His Spirit dwells in us. Jesus commands us here to not be afraid, but to have, as John MacArthur, explains a continuing attitude of courage.  The words “It is I; “ echo Exodus 3:14’s self revelation of God..literally “I AM”. 

Beloved...the Becoming One dwells with us and becomes for us whatever our need may be. There truly is no reason to fear...in Him, we have everything we need.  Be of good cheer...

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”—Mark 10:49

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”—Matthew 9:2

But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.—Matthew 9:22

But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.—Acts 23:11

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

8 The LORD is their strength,

And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9 Save Your people,

And bless Your inheritance;

Shepherd them also,

And bear them up forever.—Psalm 28:7-9

1 The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.—Psalm 23 (emphasis mine)

Oh LORD, Be Not Silent!

1 To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock:

Do not be silent to me,

Lest, if You are silent to me,

I become like those who go down to the pit.

2 Hear the voice of my supplications

When I cry to You,

When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

3 Do not take me away with the wicked

And with the workers of iniquity,

Who speak peace to their neighbors,

But evil is in their hearts.

4 Give them according to their deeds,

And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;

Give them according to the work of their hands;

Render to them what they deserve.

5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD,

Nor the operation of His hands,

He shall destroy them

And not build them up.

6 Blessed be the LORD,

Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

8 The LORD is their strength,

And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.

9 Save Your people,

And bless Your inheritance;

Shepherd them also,

And bear them up forever.—Psalm 28

You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.  Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!" Be not silent, O God of my praise! 

Answer me speedily, O LORD;

My spirit fails!

Do not hide Your face from me,

Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,

For in You do I trust;

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,

For I lift up my soul to You.—Psalm 143:7-8

Beloved...our God is alive....He is all powerful, all knowing and all seeing AND He sees YOU.  He understands your circumstances, and He hears the voice of your laments and your supplications.  David here in the beginning of Psalm 28 feels like God is dragging him away with the wicked. He felt like a dead man walking...like one who has gone down into the pit.  He prays that God would not be silent to his cries and that he would not take him away with the wicked men that surrounded him. For himself David prays for mercy...for his enemies justice. Give then, David prays, according to their deeds...render to them what they deserve. 

In verses 6 and 7 David suddenly transitions from lamentation and prayer to praise. Warren Wiersbe aptly says he goes from sobbing to singing.  The reason for David’s heart change is found in verse 7.  

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

And with my song I will praise Him.

Faith, once again, is the right response.  Trust In Him at all times, you people, our God is a refuge for us!  Jesus Himself, both in the Garden and on the cross, committed Himself into the hands of His Father...into the hands of Him who judges righteously.  In regard to David’s circumstances, nothing had changed, but God’s grace had given him the strength he needed to sing, to praise and to obey no matter what would come.  He knew His God was for Him and with his song he praised Him. 

Beloved...the just shall live by his faith. Rest your heart upon the promises found in the word and give your soul to the One through whom they have been given...our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Lord is your Shepherd...in Him, you have everything you need.

1 The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.—Psalm 23

In all their affliction He was afflicted,

And the Angel of His Presence saved them;

In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;

And He bore them and carried them

All the days of old.—Psalm 63:9

Only Believe....

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.—Mark 5:35-37

Jesus here encourages Jairus after hearing that his little girl had died to not be afraid...but only to believe.  Luke, in his account of the story says this:

But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.”—Luke 8:50

J MacArthur says the word believe used here, is a verb that expresses a command for present, continuous action.  Jesus then, is commanding Jairus to maintain his faith...the faith that he originally demonstrated in coming to Jesus...even in the face of the loss of his precious daughter.  Jesus goes on in the story to raise Jairus’ little girl from the dead. What a precious gift to her parents and those who witnessed the miracle with them. They maintained their confidence in Christ and were rewarded abundantly. 

Beloved, don’t lose heart in your own seemingly hopeless situation...only believe.  Faith is ALWAYS the right response.  Hear the voice of Your beloved Jesus in your own grief and helplessness...do not be afraid; only believe. His will for you Is good.  His desire for you is to give you a future and a hope. He wants to do great things for you!  Trust Him to do what is best.  There are many, even just in my own life, that need Jesus to breathe life into their hearts.  Believe...Our God is compassionate...He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to life in His Son.  Truly, good things come to those who believe...even life from the dead.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the LORD

In the land of the living.—Psalm 27:13

God Will Take Care of Me...

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, “Seek My face,”

My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

9 Do not hide Your face from me;

Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help;

Do not leave me nor forsake me,

O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me,

Then the LORD will take care of me.—Psalm 27:7-10

This morning as I read these verses my heart was glad and my spirit rejoiced in God, my Savior. He who is mighty has done great things for me!  

My God hears me when I cry to Him with my voice. His mercy and compassion envelop my heart and His arms of love surround me.  He pleads with me to seek His face.  He desires my presence!   May I never in my sin and pride put off or ignore His plea.  May my heart desire always the secret place of His Presence.  May I say along with David:

“Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

My God is for me and His plans for me are good.  He never hides His face from me nor  does He turn me away in anger.  He is and has been my help.  He will never leave me nor forsake me...no not ever.  The Lord, my God, will take care of me...I am His child. 

1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

3 Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

4 Seek the LORD and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!—Psalm 105:1-4

Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah—Psalm 62:8

16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

Let such as love Your salvation say continually,

"The LORD be magnified!"

17 But I am poor and needy;

Yet the LORD thinks upon me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

Do not delay, O my God.—Psalm 40:16

Abide in the Vine...

 In Mark 4:21-29 Jesus, who is also called the “Word” in Scripture is instructing His disciples about the word.  I don’t know about you, but that definitely made me sit up and pay attention. May we have ears to hear and hearts that desire His truth more than our necessary food.  

Verses 21-23:  Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 

Jesus’ teachings were not meant to be hidden or for the disciples alone...Jesus was instructing them so that they could go and do likewise.  The disciples were meant to be lights in this dark world and share the words of Jesus...the gospel...with others. 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.—Matthew 28:19-20

Verses 24-25:  Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you.  The disciples would reap what they sowed.  Beloved, the same is true for us...the more time we faithfully spend in the word of God and apply its truth in our lives, the more truth we will receive to apply.  And too much is given much will be required. 

Verses 26-29:  And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

These verses are my favorite in this section. I love the progression.  Matthew Henry explains it beautifully. 

This parable of the good seed, shows the manner in which the kingdom of God makes progress in the world. Let but the word of Christ have the place it ought to have in a soul, and it will show itself in a good conversation. It grows gradually: first the blade; then the ear; after that the full corn in the ear. When it is sprung up, it will go forward. The work of grace in the soul is, at first, but the day of small things; yet it has mighty products even now, while it is in its growth; but what will there be when it is perfected in heaven!

Beloved...Abide in the vine!  Cling to Jesus, who is the very Word of God.  Your life will fill with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.—John 15:4

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.—John 15:7

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord—Colossians 3:16

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.—James 1:21-25

David’s Heart for God...

 1 Vindicate me, O LORD,

For I have walked in my integrity.

I have also trusted in the LORD;

I shall not slip.

2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;

Try my mind and my heart.

3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,

And I have walked in Your truth.

4 I have not sat with idolatrous mortals,

Nor will I go in with hypocrites.

5 I have hated the assembly of evildoers,

And will not sit with the wicked.

6 I will wash my hands in innocence;

So I will go about Your altar, O LORD,

7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,

And tell of all Your wondrous works.

8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house,

And the place where Your glory dwells.—Psalm 26:1-8

Vindicate me, O LORD,

For I have walked in my integrity.

I have also trusted in the LORD;

I shall not slip.

I love David’s heart for God!  As you read his Psalms you really can’t miss it. In verse one he calls on the Lord to judge Him...he cares not what man thinks about him only what God thinks. He places his trust in God knowing that although he is not perfect, the overall direction of his life has been one of obedience and fruit toward God.  His inward heart for his Lord has been reflected in his outward walk.  His word and deed match.  In the last part of verse 1 we see David trusting God in whatever would happen next. His heart is steadfastly walking in faith and in truth.  His feet will not slide because His God has got him. 

2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;

Try my mind and my heart.

Verse 2 reminded me of David’s words in Psalm 139:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting

Beloved...this is a prayer of courage and a prayer one would not pray unless he was confident that his love for his God was without hypocrisy. David gives God is heart and asks Him to search it and lead him in right paths.  He WANTS to be ruled by God. His words brought these verses from Psalm 25 to mind

Teach me Your paths.

5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

Skipping down to the end of verse 6 through verse 8 we read...

So I will go about Your altar, O LORD,

7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,

And tell of all Your wondrous works.

8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house,

And the place where Your glory dwells

There are many that might go into the house of God in an attempt to hide their sin and hypocrisy from others...not David.  David loved the house of his God because he loved the God of the house!  His desire was to be in His Presence, to proclaim His wonderful works and to sing His praises.  His heart was all in!  There was no falseness in David. His whole being glorified God.

Father...do this work in me!  Search ME and know MY heart and lead ME in the way everlasting. Be my strong habitation to which I continually resort. Ending with more of David’s heart from Psalm 37, Psalm 43 and Psalm 27.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;—Psalm 37

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!

Let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Your holy hill

And to Your tabernacle.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

To God my exceeding joy;

And on the harp I will praise You,

O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God;

For I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance and my God.—Psalm 43

One thing I have desired of the LORD,

That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD

All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the LORD,

And to inquire in His temple.

5 For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.—Psalm 27

 

The Unforgivable Sin...

 28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”—Mark 3:28-30

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.—1John 1:8-10

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.—1 John 2:1-2

According to 1 John 2:2, Jesus died not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world.   Mark 3 tells us this ( Jesus is speaking)

“all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”

Read with me John 19:28-30.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

John Mac Arthur says this about the words "It is finished!"

The verb carries the idea of fulfilling one’s task and, in religious contexts, has the idea of fulfilling one’s religious obligations (see 17:4). The entire work of redemption had been brought to completion. The single Greek word here (translated “it is finished”) has been found written on papyri receipts for taxes, meaning “paid in full”

If all that is true...and it is...why does anyone go to hell?  Beloved, the unforgivable sin spoken of in Mark Chapter 3 is the failure to believe in Jesus Christ who is the very One God provided to make atonement for our sin.  By rejecting Jesus you are rejecting God’s provision for sin.  Any other sin will be forgiven you, but not believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sin so that you could spend eternity in heaven with Him, will not be forgiven. How could it?  You have blocked your own path by your own refusal to believe. You are, in effect, calling God a liar.  Beloved, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life...no one comes to the Father but through Him. 

But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."—Romans 10:6-13

10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."—John 3:10-21

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.—John 5:24

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.—1 John 5:9-13

For He says:

"In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you."

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.—2 Corinthians 6:2