Monday, April 29, 2019
The Keeper of Spring: JESUS CALMS THE STORM
The Keeper of Spring: JESUS CALMS THE STORM: WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS Text: Mark 4:35-41 Jesus Calms the Storm 35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s...
JESUS CALMS THE STORM
WHAT
MANNER OF MAN IS THIS
Text:
Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his
disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So
they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind
(although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm
came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with
water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the
boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher,
don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind
and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and
there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you
afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified.
“Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
1
Introduction
The account of our Lord
Jesus calming the storm is well known and a popular subject of Sunday School Classes
especially among children. Many sermons have been based on this popular account
of Scripture. There are many lessons which could be drawn from this passage,
particularly on the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. We will touch on one of
the many aspects of what manner of a man
our Lord is.
Colossians 1:27 New King
James Version (NKJV)
27 To them God willed to make known what
are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: [a]which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory.
Christ
in you, the Hope of Glory. This is a wonderful statement to contemplate. The
Christian’s Hope is Christ. A Christian bears the name of Christ. He would not
be called a Christian if he does not have Christ in him.
Let me bring you to that
incident, recorded in the Book of Mark
and let’s find out, what manner of Man is our Lord Jesus Christ as we place our hope in Him.
The background of this
narrative happened when our Lord preached and taught multitudes of people.
Great crowds followed the Lord as He taught them. They all gathered along the
beach as they listened intently to the Lord’s teachings. It was a long, hard
day of preaching. Jesus had to get on the boat using it as His platform, with
wind of the sea carrying the sound of
His voice. He spoke to the people about the Kingdom of God. He spoke of the
parable of the sower, parable of the lighted candle, parable of the mustard
seed, all describing the kingdom of Heaven.
Our Lord in His humanity, as a man,
felt tired, but it seemed the multitude wanted to listen to Him more and they
couldn’t have enough of His teachings, they wanted to hear more, following Him.
As evening came, it was time to rest. Jesus said to his disciples “let’s cross
to the other side of the lake.” So they steered the boat in crossing the lake.
In this boat ride with the Lord, going across the lake, the disciples
experienced an unforgettable adventure of a lifetime. This adventure of a
lifetime prompted them to ask themselves a question about the Lord Jesus
Christ. The question, is this : “What manner of man is this?”
From this marvelous account
and sea adventure of the disciples we can draw answers to this question about
our Lord. “What manner of man is this?” We can be encouraged to place our hope
and trust in our Savior, as we go through life’s journey, here on earth.
What
manner of man is this? Or Who is this man?
HE IS A MAN WHO INVITES US TO TRAVEL WITH HIM
It is an invitation to go
with Him and do the work He has entrusted to us His followers. Jesus said, Let
us go to the other side”. He invites us to go with Him as we cross the sea of
life and even beyond the other side of this earthly life, and assures us that
He will be the captain of the ship and
the captain of our soul. He promises us safe passage even peace in the middle
of the storms of life. This is an invitation loaded with promises. The promise
of His fellowship on the journey; the promise of fellowship on the other side;
the promise of safe passage on the other side. We will encounter storms in our
journey. Jesus is always with us in the same boat, and while we may at times
feel He is unmindful of our fears, struggles, despair, doubts, or feeling of
hopelessness as the strong winds and waves batter and hit us, He assures us of
His accompanying presence, and that He is in control. Our life on earth is like
being on the shore, where we get tired and weary. Jesus invites us to travel
with Him, to go with Him to the “other side”. The side of God. The side where
there is salvation and eternal life. Those who accept this invitation will
arrive safely.
HE IS A MAN WHO IS WITH US IN ALL THE STORMS OF LIFE
“And there arose a great
storm of wind.” This storm was sudden. It was unexpected. High wind, big waves,
rolling thunder, powerful waves beat into the boat, it was dark, and the
disciples felt the boat would sink. Stormy weather comes. While meteorological
science, would be able to spot and track the formation and the path of the
storm, it cannot predict how, or when
storms are formed much less stop them or divert their path. Neither
could man prevent storms from coming. Disaster and calamities regularly visit
the peoples of the earth, and we cannot do anything about. No political leader
or government can prevent storms from coming.
We live in a world where
there are many storms, both literal and figurative. Christians are not taken
out of the storms of life. We experience all sorts of typhoons and storms every
year, and storms visit our Archipelago year after year, and the truth is
whether one is a believer or an unbeliever we all go through the adverse
weather conditions. We likewise face the
perils of sickness, griefs, pain, bad situations, financial difficulties, and a
host of disasters, which could be
figuratively described as storms. The Apostle Paul, the great Lion of God,
experienced the perils of storms and shipwrecks.
Romans 8:22 New
International Version (NIV)
22 We know that the whole creation has been
groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
The
earth is a fallen world. The earth suffers from the fall of man. The earth
travails in disaster. The Bible says the whole frame of creation unites in
sighing and in pain.
So if we find ourselves in
the midst of storms, whether literal or figurative, whether it’s because we are
simply humans or because we are Christians, do not think it strange. Instead take heart knowing that.
There is a lesson here.
Storms hit the disciples. They were traveling with Jesus. They followed Jesus.
They obeyed Him. They stood with Him. They listened to Him, yet the storm came.
Followers of Christ are not storm proof, neither are they shock proof. God’s
word teaches us there is a purpose in the storms of life. Think about it. The storm of Jonah, brought
him back to backsliding. The storms of Paul opened new doors of witness. The
storm of the disciples tested their faith, prompting them to cry out to the
Lord. They cried out, ‘Lord wake up”. They didn’t realize, the Creator and
Maker of everything even of the storm was with them, so the Lord rebuked the
wind and calmed the waves at His command they marveled and asked the question,
“What manner of man is this?”
HE IS SOVEREIGN AND IN CONTROL
The account in Mark tells us
the Lord was weary and asleep in the boat. Indeed in His humanity, our Lord
Jesus was a man, so felt tired and weary. He fell asleep. Jesus was indeed a man.
Philippians 2:5-7 New
International Version (NIV)
5 In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
But our Lord while asleep in
His humanity, is still in control. He is
up to any occasion no matter what happens. In His Deity, He is in control.
Isaiah 40:28 New
International Version (NIV)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
In that boat while the storm
rages, the Lord arose, looked at raging wind and waves, and commanded them,
“Peace be still!” And there was great calm. The waves ceased; the sea
flattened; the moon broke through the clouds. And there was calm and quiet.
During the storm the
disciples were afraid. “We are perishing,” they
cried out. Fear, according to our Lord is indicative of lack of faith.
To overcome fear we need to grow in faith. Faith that God will protect us if it
be His will. Faith that God will deliver us no matter what happens. In this
experience of the disciples Jesus reveals the importance of faith in the midst
of storms.
When the Lord spoke and
rebuke the storm, the elements of nature obeyed Him. Our Lord reminds us that
His Word, God’s Word, should empower us to withstand the challenges of the
storms of life.
Matthew 7:24-27 New
International Version (NIV)
The Wise and Foolish
Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these
words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his
house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had
its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these
words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who
built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams
rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
In this incident, the Lord
teaches us the lesson that in facing severe crisis we should call upon Him, cry
out to Him, for help and deliverance. Our Lord is our loving Father who will
respond to our call. God neither slumbers nor sleeps. But we need to cry out to
Him and pray, and pray and implore. Jesus is the key to receiving mercy and
grace in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
In anxious times, God offers peace to guard
our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
through prayer - Php 4:6-7
-- Jesus stands ready to
calm our hearts and minds when facing storms
The greatest storm all of us
will face, will be the Day of Judgment. A day in which we will all stand before
the Judgment Seat of Christ. The same Christ and Lord who were with the
disciples on that boat ride, and calmed the storm. The Christ who shed His
blood on the cross, to spare us on that Judgment Day.
WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS?
He
is everything He says He is. HE IS OUR HOPE
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The Keeper of Spring: WILL GOD GIVE ME ALL MY DESIRES?
The Keeper of Spring: WILL GOD GIVE ME ALL MY DESIRES?: “Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” -Psalm 37:4 WILL GOD GIVE ME ALL MY DESIRES? - Some sugg...
WILL GOD GIVE ME ALL MY DESIRES?
“Take delight in the Lord
and He will give you the desires of your heart”
-Psalm 37:4
WILL GOD GIVE ME ALL MY
DESIRES? - Some suggest that Ps 37:4 is a promise that we will receive whatever
we desire. And most of us have fallen into the trap wondering "Lord, why
don't You give me what I desire since it is not a bad thing?" When we are
frustrated by a promise it may be because we are not interpreting the promise
correctly!
When we examine the context, we observe that Psalm 37 tells us not
to fret or be envious of the wicked and not focus on what they have or what
they seem to be getting away with. Instead we are to focus on Jehovah, the
great I Am Who promises to "supply all our needs (not our wants) according
to His riches in Christ Jesus." (Php 4:19-note) And when we compare a
parallel passage like 1Jn 5:14-note, we see that we need to ask for desires
that are "according to His will" not our will. (see also
qualification of abiding in His Word - Jn 15:7) As Spurgeon says those
"who delight in God desire or ask nothing but what will please God."
In other words as we practice the presence of God, daily delighting in Him, in
His Word, in prayerful communion with Him, gradually His Spirit transforms our
heart so that our desires become His desires and it is those desires He will
grant. Indeed, our desires will be His desires when our heart sings "Take
my will, and make it Thine. It shall no be no longer mine. Take my love, my
Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store. Take myself and I will be, ever
only, all for Thee, ever only all for Thee." (Frances Havergal)
If God has
our hearts, He can trust us with His blessings. So let us DELIGHT in God and He
will become our greatest DESIRE! And if all we desire is God, God will give us
all we desire…Christ Jesus Himself, "in Whom are hidden all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge." (Col 2:3-note) The path to true fulfillment in
this short life does not lie in preoccupation with self but in selfless
preoccupation with Jesus, our all in all (Heb 12:2-note, Col 3:11-note). Beloved,
true contentment becomes our experiential reality when God's will is more
important than our wants and when we come to realize that Jesus is everything
we need for time and eternity!
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