Written on November 12th, 2003 - 9:00PM Last Updated: October 26th, 2005 - 6:48PM
Jesus told His disciples He wanted to go to the other side of the lake.
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let's go over to the other side." (Mark 4:35)
The disciples immediately set sail, not preparing at all, but trusting His will.
Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him. (Mark 4:36)
The ways of the world came against them without their foreknowledge, seeming to contradict what the Lord had intended to do.
A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled. (Mark 4:37)
They lost their faith, sinking back into the flesh and physical senses.
He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?" (Mark 4:38)
But, after waking Jesus, they discovered that He had control over the situation. According to His plan to go to the other side of the lake, there was nothing that could prevent it from coming to pass, even the seemingly uncontrollable ways of nature.
He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39)
The Lord Jesus then confronted their lack of faith. As He purposed to do the works of God, so God would work with Him, keeping Him safe from all outside interference. They had yet, however, come to see the fulness of power that rested in and upon Yahweh's Christ.
He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?" They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:40, 41)
They then arrived safely at their destination, which Jesus had planned from the beginning (Mark 5:1), and the Lord proceeded to deliver a man from evil spirits has He had intended to do before leaving from the other side of the lake (Mark 5:2-13).
God gives us His will
We must then decide whether or not to accept it. The first time we confront this choice is at salvation when we hear His voice and decide whether to come to Him, like the many in the Gospels: Matthew (Matthew 9:9), the rich man (Mark 10:21), and Philip (John 1:43). Secondly, this confronts us day-to-day, when He calls us to join Him in His work, as seen in Peter's life (John 10:27)(John 12:26)(John 21:19-22), and the disciples who testified even after being threatened by the authorities (Acts Chapter 4).
We experience hardships and temptations to doubt God
People will continue to cause others to stumble off of the path Yahweh has laid for them. These occasions of stumbling must come (Matthew 18:7). It is part of the refining process of our faith (James 1:2-4). It proves, just as precious metals are proved, what kind of faith we have (1 Peter 1:6-7): that which passes away under stress or that which endures to the end (Acts 14:22)(1 Thessalonians 3:3)(2 Thessalonians 1:4)(Psalms 34:19).
First, throughout our life in Christ, we fill up what is lacking in the suffering of Christ. Second, we will experience the resistance of the world, the flesh and the devil in the situations we face each day.
Even if we doubt, God will save us if we call upon Him
Just as the disciples came to Jesus when the storms came, instead of trying to remedy the situation themselves, we must go to the Lord. Even though they didn’t know how He could help them, they came to Him at their time of need. How much better is it that we trust His will constantly, that what He has purposed He will accomplish, rather than fearing something else could supplant His desire.
"When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple. (Jonah 2:7)
First, we may waver, wondering if God’s promise of salvation and forgiveness remains faithful; even if we don’t doubt, if we continue to trust in God and ask Him to save us from the pitfalls of this fallen world, He will. Second, in each situation we must remember that Yahweh the Son is the author of our faith (Hebrews 12:2); if we are following His leading, then we should trust He will see us through to the destination, because He is with us.
After Jesus calmed the waves, the disciples came to know Him in a deeper way. Through that which He has purposed He shows us His greatness and authority over all things He has made. Job sees Yahweh as the one who can do all things, that no purpose of His can be restrained, after going through many hardships (Job 42:1-6).
First, at the Coming of Jesus, during the thousand-year reign, and the in the following new heavens and earth, we will see Jesus as Lord of lords, and the promised calm comes. Where He has guided, He has protected and provided. Second, in each situation through which the Lord brings us, we experience the peace of having trusted in Him through it to its conclusion. We see Him more fully as the Lord of all the earth.
God moves to fulfill His purpose
As Jesus met the demon-possessed man at the other side of the lake, so we continue to face adversity with Him, but knowing that He is Lord of all. We understand that His desire to go is a desire to continue the work of Yahweh. As He purposes to cross the lake to the other side, He had in His mind the vision of a man bound by demons, whom He intended to free by the Spirit of God. We continue to grow, until we reach the full stature of Christ, which will be completed at His Coming in glory.
First, the next age of God commences, and we will continue on with our Lord. He has brought us through the trip He has begun, in order to begin a new work; and we now know Him intimately as the Sovereign. Second, as each situation in our lives are begun and finished by God, we have come through it all more fully tested, able to withstand more and more, just as precious metal is tried in the fire. He has begun the work, finished it, and will take us through the next. We must not faint as we endure these occasions of stumbling that must come from the world.
1Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don't grow weary, fainting in your souls. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.
But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.
This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, ChristJesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.
You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.
God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.
That Son, JesusChrist, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.
His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.
The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.
So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.
Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!
Email the Author
I welcome your questions, testimonies, suggestions and fellowship. Please contact me by using the form below.
If you are using this form on the same page as material I've written, the form will automatically let me know what material this is.
I am using this form rather than posting my email address because of spammers who harvest addresses from websites.
Scripture Quotes: World English Bible Translation.
Site designed and written by J. Solomon Kostelnik. Please do not distribute without credit.
Thank you to the free open-source projects PHP/MySQL.
