Storms

Paddling Your Way Through The Storms

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And when even was now come, His disciples went down unto 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.  And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.  So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty 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.”  Then they willingly received Him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
John 6:16-21

There is a  high probability that every one reading this is  in a powerful storm, maybe the worst of your life.  If you are not then,  you soon will be.  You at the least have already been through the storm of your life.

Natural storms, the storms of nature, are many times very horrible, fearful; like the one the disciples were in when Jesus came walking on the waves of the Sea of Galilee,  and the disciples were fearful of the storm, then when they saw Jesus walking  on the water they were frightened by Him.  When Jesus got in the boat, and He had comforted them, the boat was at land.

These storms of nature are controlled by our Creator.  Also are the storms we must go through of life.  A heart issue.  A problem child.  A very ill child.  A financial dilemma of bankruptcy or being charged with fraud.  All of these and more can be very frightening.

Frightening yes, but then you see Jesus and  He gets in your boat (your life), and the storm quietens, the fear subsides, and you find yourself experiencing the loving kindness of the Lord, receiving His mercy, and His grace.  All of this is available through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Call out to Him, and He will come to you and give you peace.

Calming the Storm(s)

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“And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, ‘Let us pass over unto the other side.’ And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, ‘Master, carest Thou not that we perish?’ And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, ‘Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'” Mark 4:35-41  (KJB)

Jesus calls on the disciples to go to the other side in a boat, with others with them.  He sleeps in the “hinder part” with perfect peace, and continues to sleep as a storm comes up and rages.  The Master completely at peace while the disciples rage with their own personal storm of fear.

There once was a boy, awakened by a horrendous thunderstorm.  He was very frightened by that storm, but remembered the words of Jesus, and spoke them to the storm.  Following the speaking of those words, “Peace, be still” that boy went back to sleep.

Jesus is the one who calms all the storms of life when we place them in His hands.

Let me give you a few words from F. B. Meyer on these verse…

“The stilling of the storm, Mar_4:35-41. They that bear Christ’s company must prepare for squalls. Yet, why should we fear, when the Master is on board, who can impress His commands on wind and sea-to the wind, Peace; to the sea, Be still! “The Lord on high is mightier than the waves of the sea.” A moment ago he was so weary as to sleep amid the storm, but at a word of appeal from those He loves, He shows Himself able to save to the uttermost.” from F. B. Meyer’s THROUGH THE BIBLE DAY BY DAY

Remember the One who was sleeping, getting the rest He needed, was also the One who would go to the cross, and face the greatest storm of His life, dying for the sins of the world; yours and mine; was buried, then three days later came out of that grave alive.  He lives forever more.  Call on His name.  Believe Him.

The King and His Creation

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The King And Nature

Matthew 8:23-27

With many having fears of the storm of Global Warming, and thinking that mankind can destroy what God has created, we need to come to realize that the earth and what we refer to as Nature is in the hands of our Soveriegn Lord and King.

We are to be good stewards of things where we can make a difference.

The storms of life will come, but we have a Lord and Savior who cares for our needs, and He will care for our need of air, as long as we are looking to Him and being faithful in caring for the environment the best we know how. I only bring the thoughts of Global warming into this because there are men who are wracked with fear concerning this matter – whether it is real or imagined – it is truthfully in the hands of the Lord.

JESUS GAVE COMMANDMENT TO GO TO THE OTHER SIDE (v. 18).

JESUS GOT INTO ONE OF THE BOATS AND THE DISCIPLES FOLLOWED HIM (v. 23).

* Jesus went to sleep and continued sleeping after the storm came up.

* Jesus slept, and by sleeping shows us His humanity.

* Jesus needed the rest and His disciples needed the test.

A STORM CAME UP, NOT UNCOMMON, AND THE DISCIPLES PANICKED (vv. 24-26a).

* At least four of these fishermen were experienced fishermen of the Sea of Galilee.

* Could the storm have been of supernatural origin and more fierce than previous storms these men had witnessed?

JESUS REVEALS WHY THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD NO FEAR OF THE STORM (v. 26b).

* While the man slept; God was keeping all things in His hand, and not one thing can happen to the child of God without the Father’s permission.

* Jesus had a destiny to fulfill, and the Father was not about to let that be stopped.

THE DISCIPLES MARVEL IN THE PRESENCE OF DEITY (v. 27).

* Only deity can still the waves, the wind, and all storms.

* Jesus is the One who can still, and calm all storms.

* Let us all marvel in His deity, and worship Him.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The House that will Endure the Trials, Tremors, and Troubles of Life

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“And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth My sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”  ~Jesus (Luke 6:46-49)

GOD is All-Knowledge

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The prophet is sharing his call from God with us as we look at the rest of chapter one. Our verses today will just be verses four and five. I want to keep these articles relatively short. They are usually the ones which will be read, if most people are like me in that respect.

“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ‘Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5 (KJV)

While Jeremiah was serving as a priest with his family it surely grieved his heart to see the wickedness in the land. Many times this is the way God moves and works in calling men to serve as pastors, preachers, teachers, and other works. He places a burden upon the heart, and you go and grow in that as you hear the Lord and see Him work you just find yourself enjoying what He has called you to do.

The Lord had this planned for the prophet from the time the world was established. One of the things that the man of God needs to know and realize about God is that He is Omniscient, and that simply means that He is AllKnowing. There is nothing that God, the Creator of all that is, does not know. Someone has asked the question, “Is there anything God can learn?” Well the answer to that, if God is AllKnowing, is NO! Because He already knows everything there is to know.

That means He is never surprised by events, “accidents”, incidents, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, car wrecks, bombs exploding, or wars. You could put just about anything in there that you could think of.

God knew Jeremiah before he was conceived in the womb, and you could say, it was God who gave the seed that caused Jeremiah to be. There is a good thing we can see from this and that is that none of us are an accident. God made us to be.

These verses are often used by those who are pro-life, which I am, to show that there is human life in the womb of the mother, concerning the baby. It is not just a blob of tissue, a mass which has invaded the body of the woman. It is a special, ordained by God, individual for whom He has plans; whether the woman does or not. I guess her plans; the woman getting an abortion; are extinction.

The prophet is “Sanctified” which is set apart to be clean, appointed, prepared to do a task, and that task as we shall see is to proclaim the word of the LORD to God’s people of Judah, and to the nations.

He is “Ordained” by God to proclaim the message God puts in his mouth, and upon his lips. He is to speak what God tells him to speak, and not withhold one word. That is the work of the prophet of God. Speak the word of God and do it with all one’s strength, and then the strength of God.

God knows you. He knew you before you were conceived. Yield your life to Him.  When you are saved through the cross of Jesus Christ you are also sanctified, set apart, for God’s glory and praise.  God has called you to do His will.

Through the Bible in a Year – Evening 011313

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Scheduled for the evening message of January 13, 2013; however, we did not have services due to sickness in the congregation.

The Greater of Jonah, and Solomon

Matthew 6 – 12

1.  The Giver of a Greater Commandment (6 – 7);

2.  The One who calms Storms, and Heals (8);

3.  He is the One who Forgives Sin, and sends Laborers to the Harvest (9);

4.  He Calls His Disciples to be Empowered for the Task at Hand (10);

5.  The One who Shares our Load, and the Burden is Light (11);

6.  He Speaks of a New Day of Rest (12).

-Tim A. Blankenship

Why Are Ye Fearful…?

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Fear is an emotion we all face at times.  There are some who seem to be fearful much of their lives.  I have known some who were fearful of leaving their home, or new home for a night or so; for fear that someone might break in and steal their possessions or do harm to their home.  Now, there is a needless fear.

It would probably surprise us what many people are fearful of.  There are some parents who are constantly fearful that their child or children will fall down, get hurt, be hurt by someone else; well you get the picture.  Children need to learn, and their falling, experiencing pain is part of growing up.  Fear can be dangerous to one’s health.

We live in an era or time when people are fearful of what the economy will do; or how the stock market will perform.  In this post today I want us to look at two portions of Scripture.  First from the New Testament we hear from an event in the life of Jesus’s disciples and the words of Jesus;

“And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him.  And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep.  And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us: we perish.’  And He saith unto them, ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?’ Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  But the men marvelled, saying, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!’”  Matthew 8:23-27 (KJV)

Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus is asleep in the boat, a storm comes up, Jesus remains asleep undaunted by the storm; and His disciples are fearful.  Had they forgotten what Jesus has told them?  Do they not know who He is?  Of course it is a normal part of life to get fearful in the midst of a storm; at least for many people it is.  However, when you have the Son of God with you, having heard His words; what is there to fear?  Some wise Christian from years ago said, “If we fear God we do not need to fear anything else”.  Jesus said to His disciples “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”, then He “Rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”  Now, do you suppose that calm was just the ceasing of the wind and the seas?  I think not.  The calm entered the hearts of His disciples as well.

To continue of this thought lets look into the lives of Abraham and Sarah from Genesis;

“And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken.  For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.  And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.  And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.  And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.  And Sarah said, ‘God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.’  And she said, ‘Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? For I have born him a son in his old age.’  And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.” Genesis 21:1-8 (KJV)

Now Abraham and Sarah had been promised a son by God.  They had gone to extraordinary means to try and accomplish God’s will in their own way.  First by the surrogacy using Hagar Sarah’s servant.  As a result of this Ishmael was born and Sarah was despised by her servant, and when God did give them the son He had promised this promised son was hated by Ishmael.  Where did this deed come from.  It seems to have been spawned by fear.  Fear that they needed to do something which God had not commanded, nor commended.

Some might think, “Well where does faith fit into the picture with Abraham and Sarah?”  Despite their actions they did believe they were aiding God in giving them a child; but it still was contrary to His will.  Yet God uses this fear and its fruit to later discipline His children.

They believed God in their lives, and God honored their faith.  In Genesis 15:6 we are told of Abram, “And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness.”

The word for today.  No matter what the devil and life may throw at you; do not fear for God is the Master of your life.  You do not need to use schemes, or the wiles of the world to accomplish the works of God.  He works His plan and accomplishes His will for our good and His glory.  When we do our own plan, our own way, “The chickens will come home to roost”.

“Why are ye fearful…?”

-Tim A. Blankenship

Day 66 – Consider Your Ways

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Do we really stop to consider the way we live our lives?  Are we a society that is consumed with doing our own thing; out for self fulfillment?  It seems that way at times.  Whether we like to admit it or not there is evil in the world.  The only thing is who determines what is evil?

In our look at people we often see people joining in to help others.  There have been many storms, tornadoes, tsunamis, as well as fires and earthquakes; and multitudes of neighbors come and help one another recover.  That is a good thing.  Right?  I certainly see it as good.  Yet there is something wrong.

The something wrong is how people react toward God and His Word.

My reading today was from Zephaniah 1 through Zechariah 9.  There is a two chapter prophet within this reading by the name of Haggai where I got the title for this post.  Four times Haggai uses the word “Consider”.  Twice is to the returned people from Babylon to “Consider your ways”, and that is in the first chapter.

Though the words are not used in Zephaniah or Zechariah the cry is still with both of these prophets as well.

Zephaniah sees there is a departure from the LORD and calls for the people to return or suffer judgment.  The prophecy takes place during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah; and Josiah was one who did right in the eyes of the LORD.  Yet, even taking away the idols themselves does not remove the idol from the heart.  They were still practicing the evil of their hearts.

“I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.  I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.   ‘I will also stretch out Mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests; and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham; and them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for Him.”  Zephaniah 1:2-6 (KJV)

The LORD defines “evil” much different than man does.  Evil in God’s view is when His people turn from Him to serve and trust other things, such as gold, silver, friends, family; comfort and pleasure.  Evil is also when the unbelieving refuse to believe in Him.  The LORD desires those who are His to seek Him, to inquire of Him.

The prophet Haggai writes during the time of the return of Israel to the land of Promise, and they need to rebuild the temple, but they are neglecting doing so.  They have their own houses built, but neglect the temple.  Meaning, that they are neglecting the worship of the Most High GOD.  Hear the word of the LORD through Haggai,

“Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,  ‘Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?  Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; ‘Consider your ways.  Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:3-6

The implication and clear message is that they are lacking due to their neglect of worshipping the LORD.  That was their reason for being returned to Jerusalem; that is to rebuild the temple; yet they were neglecting the very One who was fulfilling His Word to them and for them.  Notice the following word from the LORD;

“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.” Haggai 2:7

Even before the temple is completed God gives the people promise and hope for days to come.  The “desire of nations” is the Messiah of Israel.  He is the Savior of the world.  The seed of David.  The Prince of peace.  Wonderful Counselor.  Mighty God.   Everlasting Father.  He is the Son of God.  His name is Jesus.  He is the desire of nations.

Zechariah speaks of this One as well;

“And speak unto him, saying, ‘Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, ‘Behold the Man whose name is The BRANCH; and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the LORD: even He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”  Zechariah 6:12-13 (KJV)

So, you may think that you are a “righteous person”, but by God’s standard you nor myself measure up.  We fall short.  There is only one hope to be rid of the evil in our hearts and lives.  That is by believing and receiving the gift God gives in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.  That gift is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins.  He was buried, and He rose again bodily from the grave.  He cares for you.  God cares enough to give the very best.  Consider your ways.

-Tim A. Blankenship

…Which Thou Hast Given Me…

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We continue looking at our Lord’s Prayer as He was nearing the day of giving Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

“I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me; and they have kept Thy word.”  John 17:6 (KJV).

The very thing that Jesus came to do was to reveal the Father unto men.  Of course, the men of whom Jesus is speaking are those who were following Him that we know as the disciples.

Jesus had told Phillip, “If ye have seen Me, ye have seen the Father” (14:9).  Everything which Jesus did He did to glorify His Father, and do the works which the Father had sent Him to do.  He had called these men to follow Him, and He recognized that the Father had given them to Him.  When the men looked at Jesus they were seeing the works of the God of all creation.  They had been extremely blessed by seeing first hand  His power over the elements.

Only God could cause the storms at sea to cease.  Jesus had merely spoken, “Peace; be still”, and all was calm – immediately.  Three of them had seen Him speaking; and in His glory ; with Moses and Elijah on the mountain.  It is a personal longing desire that I have to see my Jesus face to face and behold Him in His glory.

Jesus prays, “…and they have kept Thy word”.  They have taken the things which Jesus has said, held them in their hearts, and they would one day, by the presence and power of the Spirit come forth in written words for all to read, and hear.

Let’s be thankful today, for those men who were faithful to follow the Lord Jesus.  No!  They were not perfect.  They were people just like you and myself.  They stumbled and fell, but my oh,  my; to have Jesus pray so for us.  This prayer is for all who will follow Him.

God bless you.  Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me; bless His holy name.

-Tim A. Blankenship

What Manner Of Man – Worthy Of Worship

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“And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?  For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.  And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.  For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” Mark 4:21-25 (KJV)

For the second time in chapter four Jesus uses the phrase “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear”.  What we have been given by God’s grace can be seen by all.  Our life, our work, our play, our family, is a witness to all around us.  How bright is that light shining from me?  How about with you?  Is the light of Christ clearly displayed for all to see.

Jesus says that what has been in secret will be revealed.  The Gospel is to the unbelieving something hard to understand and is “hidden” until the Spirit of God turns on the light.  To the unbelieving the preaching of the cross is foolishness; to the Jew it is a stumbling block.

God has given to every believer the light to shine for all to see.  We have been given much, so much is required of us.  Let us not lose what God has blessed us with.  The blessed gift and privilege of sharing Christ with others can be lost if we are not sharing the story.  The more you share the gospel with others the more you will enjoy it and the better it will get.  To have a gift and not use it is to lose it.

“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;  And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.  But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”  Mark 4:26-29 (KJV)

It is a marvel of God’s creation how a seed can be dropped onto the earth’s soil and it spring up and bring forth life.  Only God really knows how that happens.  It is a matter of life.

The farmer knows what he is to do, and that begins with plowing the ground – for a good crop – and preparing it for the seed.  He will then sow the seed, and wait patiently for it to grow into a harvest.  That seed will struggle and push its way up through the soil, it will grow to its highest potential, with “blades” of the plant it is supposed to be and eventually bring forth its fruit.  After reaching its time of harvest the farmer then will proceed to gather the harvest, and usually with much joy.

The good farmer knows the right time to harvest the grain.  When that time comes he puts in the “sickle” and brings in the harvest.

“And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:  But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.  And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”  Mark 4:30-34 (KJV)

The growth of this mustard plant is not normal.  It even shelters the “Fowls of the air” which are seen in the previous “parable” as being representative of the devil.

There is a tree which is seen in the fourth chapter of Daniel where it is said of it that the “birds of the air” rested in its branches.  This can be found in Daniel 4:11-12.

“The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. Daniel 4:11-12 (KJV)”

The “Mustard seed” is one of the smallest seeds known to man.  When Christ started the church He began with only twelve, and over the years it has grown and flourished.  It is not without problems or problem people, but it still continues to grow.  Within this Kingdom there is good and evil, and the good will triumph because Jesus Christ is its Head.  Warren Wiersbe states, “The growth of the kingdom will not result in the conversion of the world.  In fact, some of the growth will give opportunity for Satan to get in and go to work!”  It is imperative that we understand that the church is not perfect.  It is basically a “Hospital” with “sick” people.  Someone once made the statement, that “If you find a perfect church, and you go there, it is no longer perfect.”  There are members within many churches who are not genuinely Christian.  They “came forward” during an invitation, “took the preachers hand” or someone else’s, they filled out a card and there was no giving of self to Christ as Savior or Lord.  When the local church is made up of saved and lost people it is no wonder there will be problems in the congregation.

We must note that the “birds” who are resting in the branches of the tree are not part of the tree.  They only find solace, security, and some sanctimoniousness.

What Jesus started with only twelve people has grown to be millions.  The Church of Jesus Christ will not fail.  She will prevail, because Jesus has already conquered sin, death, hell, the devil, and the grave.

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”  Mark 4:35-41 (KJV)

After giving the parables and teachings he had given on this same day he got in one of the boats and said, “Let’s go to the other side”.  Now, what is on the other side?  Gadara.  There is a need for Jesus to go there, and He goes.

On the way to the “Other side” Jesus goes to sleep in the stern of the boat.  While He sleeps a storm that frightens even the seasoned fishermen – Peter, Andrew, James and John.  Even these guys are afraid that they are going to die.  Jesus is still sleeping.  Unafraid, unencumbered with the weights of this incident He sleeps.  There are three reasons a man or woman can sleep during storms of life.  First of all, physically exhausted, or dead.  Secondly, emotionally drained or depressed due to a rebellious attitude toward God.  Thirdly, they are at perfect peace with God.  Which one of those categories did Jesus fit into?  That is really a crazy question.  He is Deity, God in Flesh.  Of course He was at perfect peace with God.  He knew His destiny.  He knew God’s plan for His life.  How about you?

One thing we as Christians need reminded of from time to time is that we are still going to have some storms in our lives.  We are not exempt from them at all.

These seasoned fishermen saw that this storm was different or they would not have been so afraid as they were.  Because they were afraid they went to the right person.  They went and roused Jesus from His sleep.  Jesus was somewhat disappointed with their faith – or lack thereof.  They must not have been sure of their destiny, or God’s plan for their lives, or Jesus’ life for that matter.  If they would have believed Jesus’ previous words they would not have been afraid of the storm.  They would have kept on rowing; knowing and believing that they would reach their destination on “The Other side”.  Jesus had an appointment in Jerusalem He had to keep, and nothing would deter Him from that meeting.

At the storm they were afraid of it, now they suddenly turn their fear toward Jesus.  They really were not afraid of the storm; rather they were afraid of dying.  Now they have their eyes opened, and they receive a proper fear.   A fear of God, for here, standing with them is the One who made the elements, which causes the storm, and now calls them to be at peace.  Now the disciples can be at peace.

WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS?  That is the best question.  He is the God-man.  Jesus Christ the incarnate One; worthy of praise, honor and glory.  It is to Him alone that we owe our complete allegiance, and to no other.

-Tim A. Blankenship

A Journey To Rest

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Acts 9:26-31

It was at Saul’s feet the stoners of Stephen laid down their garments.  I suppose he was responsible for caring for their clothing while they stoned a man to death.  That sounds so heartless, because it is, and it was, however; at least it seems to have been this event; his hearing the word from Stephen, seeing and hearing his dying testimony; which had an impact on Saul coming to faith.

When Jesus confronts Saul as he is traveling to Damascus to capture, persecute, and jail Christians; Jesus says to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Acts 9:4-5 (KJV).  His “kick against the pricks” is evidence that before the Lord confronted him he was deeply under the convicting power of the Spirit of God.  Saul met Jesus Christ on that day, and he has been a blessing to Christians, the Church and the world ever since; because of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

THE CONVERSION OF SAUL, AND THE CHURCHES REACTION (v. 26).  Upon his salvation Saul is led to a man named Ananias, who shows Saul the way he is to go for the Lord.  He is received by the disciples of Damascus.  Saul had spent time in Damascus preaching the gospel.  He was new to it for sure, but he started in faith and kept on faithfully until the day he died by losing his head at the hands of Rome.

The church of Jerusalem was reluctant to receive him into their midst.  He had been their persecutor, he had shown them nothing but hate, and now he’s wanting to come into our fellowship.  Can you understand their doubtful thinking about him?  I can.  He had received orders from the religious establishment of Jerusalem, and it was in Jerusalem where most of the persecution was still going on, and Saul had been the chief persecutor.

The Jerusalem church could not believe that their chief persecutor was now one with them.  The disciples there – not the apostles – were afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple of Jesus now.

It is an awesome thing when one who has been against the church of Jesus Christ is changed and begins to walk, live, serve and glorify our Lord.  Their testimony will be one of glorious change and the glory will belong to Jesus Christ.  The glory will not return upon the professing individual, but go to the Lord.

BARNABAS RECEIVES SAUL, AND ENCOURAGES HIM AND THE CHURCH, AND THEY WALK AND WORK TOGETHER (vv, 27-28).  Barnabas sees the rejection Saul experiences, sees a life who has been changed by the blood of Jesus Christ and takes Saul and makes him his disciple.  The call of the great commission of Jesus Christ is to “Go and make disciples” there are more than twelve disciples; there are only twelve apostles; thirteen counting Saul – who later became Paul.  We are not commanded to “make apostles” but disciples which is a “follower of Jesus Christ”

Known as an “encourager” Barnabas walks along side Saul when no one else will.  He even takes him to see the apostles, and Saul shares with them his testimony of how he met the Lord on the road to Damascus, and they are told of his bold preaching in Damascus.  After his visit with the apostles he is then seen leaving and entering the city with the apostles; they have received him as one of themselves.

The work of an encourager is a great work, and is much needed in the work of Christ and His Church.  We all need someone to come alongside us, to pick us up when we are down on occasions.  There are also occasions where we need to be the encourager, and pick up a friend, family member, church member, or a neighbor who needs to just get things clicking and right between them and the Lord.

SAUL’S PREACHING IN JERUSALEM IS BOLD, AND HE IS RUSHED OUT OF TOWN TO HIS OWN TOWN (vv. 29-30).   Why is it a lot of preachers think they are called to popularity.  Jesus was popular while He did His miracles, but when He got bloody and doctrinal concerning His body and the blood many of “His disciples left Him” (John 6:60-68).  If popularity, or drawing a crowd, was the agenda of our Lord, the message would not be so hard and difficult for people to hear and believe.  The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the simplest message ever proclaimed, yet people do not want to hear it.

Have you ever been run out of town for your preaching?  I have not, but there are some places I have not been asked to return.  I am grateful for the church where I am currently pastor.  The Carr Lane Baptist Church maybe small in number, but we are big in heart for hearing the word of the Lord.  When a preacher can stand in the pulpit week after week, Sunday after Sunday, and preach expository messages straight from Scripture, and you hear no negative comment, and you hear an “Amen” ever once in awhile you just got to know that they are hearing God, and not you.

The preacher when he is preaching the word of the Lord can boldly proclaim the message of God without fear or favor to those who are listening; and will glorify the Lord in the preaching.  An Old Testament Prophet name of Jeremiah was one who convinced me that I needed to come out of my shell, preach the word and be faithful to the Lord.  Jeremiah says, “Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.”  Jeremiah 1:17 (KJV).  When you know you are delivering the word of God you have nothing to fear.  Be bold, proclaim from the rooftops what God says in His Word.

Though Saul did get rushed out of town it was for a greater purpose.  He would return to Jerusalem at a later time, and then be shipped to Rome.  Saul’s/Paul’s message of Jesus Christ was not loved nor appreciated.  Check your message; if you have crowds following you; change your message to the message of Jesus and Saul.

THE CHURCHES OF JERUSALEM THEN, HAD REST (v. 31)  It was because of the change in Saul’s life that there was rest in the Jerusalem churches.  The persecutor of persecutors was now one of them and being persecuted.

A few years ago I took the thirty first verse, disected, prayed, and developed a sermon, and called it  THE THREE R’s FOR THE CHURCH getting the idea from what used to be the words for education Reading, ‘Riting’ and ‘Rithmetic; but changing that to be Reverence, Rest, and Results, as three points for the sermon.  You can see the Reverence, “walking in the fear of the Lord”; the Rest in, “Then had the churches rest…” and the Results, “in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”  Acts 9:31 (KJV).

There is little fear of God, even in church these days we live in.  There is more talk of “perfect love casts out fear”, so we don’t fear God.  NOT!  John’s writing has absolutely nothing to do with the reverence and fear of God.  It does have to do with the condemnation of our sins, the lies of the devil, the lies of friends and family.  It has to do with everyday events of life.  Someone has said, “When we fear God; we need to fear nothing else.”  If there is no fear of God, there will be fear of all else.  Paranoia, schizoprenia, trouble and danger lurking behind every closed door, fear of darkness, fear of storms, fear of failure, fear of bankruptcy, fear of world financial failure.  When even the child of God is not right with Him, out of His fellowship, we too can be fearful of these things.

Rest has come to the Jerusalem churches because the one who pursued them unto death was now one of them.  He now was being persecuted.  He had been pushed out of town; but unto a great endeavor of preaching the Word elsewhere; to his own home of Tarsus.

Results, come when the Christian and the church practice their faith, and live by that faith through their everyday lives.  We have seen examples of this multiplication earlier in the book – 3000 saved on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), more were saved according to Acts 4:4.  It seems that people were being saved everyday in the early church.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to baptize at least one every Sunday during a worship service, maybe even more?  Remembering it is the Lord who adds daily to His church.  It is not programs, or money, but by and through the faithful witness of the Spirit of God through His faithful witnesses.

The rest you need can be found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.  You may despise the gospel right now but realize, as did Saul, that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day that we all who call on His name have eternal life with Him.  Call on His name believing Him, and trusting Him with all your life, confessing your sins and repenting of them.

-Tim A. Blankenship

This is the study notes for a sermon preached in the morning worship at Carr Lane Baptist Church on October 12, 2008.

Message Of Jesus – Still Needed

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“And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.  And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.”  Mark 2:1-2 (KJV)

“They crowded to hear Him, as we read in this passage, “until there was no room about the door.” They were amazed. They were astonished. They were filled with wonder at His mighty works. But they were not converted. They lived in the full noon-tide blaze of the Sun of Righteousness, and yet their hearts remained hard. And they drew from our Lord the heaviest condemnation that He ever pronounced against any place, except Jerusalem–“And you people of Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in Sodom, it would still be here today. I assure you, Sodom will be better off on the judgment day than you.” (Matt. 11:23, 24)”  From J. C. Ryle Commentary

There is a need for humanity to hear the words of Jesus.  It is a necessity of human beings; if we are to be eternally saved; to hear and heed His Word.  The  earthquake (December 26, 2004) which caused the tsunami in the Indian Ocean; and various other earthquakes, storms, and wars; should be a wake up cry to the world.  God is still in charge of the world.  The death toll has been staggering – to say the least – reaching into the hundreds of thousands, and many of those going into eternal fires of torment.

There is sin still in our world.  Every one of us born of man is born into sin.  We are sinners by birth and sinners by choice.  It is because of sin that there is sickness, disease, death, tsunami, tornado, earthquake, storms, etc..

People will often gather; as they did for Jesus on the day we read here; to hear a great speaker, because of what they might see, receive, or to be entertained.  The people of Capernaum were awed by Jesus, and the words He spoke, but they would not take heed to His words.

There are people who are asking, “If God is omnipotent and omniscient, then why did He not prevent this horrible disaster in the Indian Ocean?”,  “Why did He not prevent the destruction of this tornado, earthquake, the death of my son or daughter; husband or wife?”  God is Omnipotent [All-Powerful] and Omniscient [All-Knowing], and yes He could have prevented the disaster, but because of the fall “Nature” just as sin is allowed to run its course.  We had just as well ask, “Why did my Dad die?” or “Why is there death in the world?”  Most Christians would agree that death is the result of sin, because we know those verses that tell us “death came into the world because of sin” (Rom. 5:12-21).

The world needs to hear the words and message of Jesus because there is coming a judgment upon the world unlike which the world has never seen.  It seems to me that God is screaming for mankind’s attention.  Still there are those who keep asserting that “…these things are only a thing of nature, there is no God, and this tragedy only proves it.”

In stark reality it seems to me to show that God is truly gracious; for if He were to take His hand completely away from His creation; the universe and the  world on which we live, and all that is in it would come to an abrupt end.  And He would be completely just in doing so.

People in Ezekiel’s day would gather to hear a preacher preach, but not do according to his teaching (Ezekiel 33:30-33).  Jesus said, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not what I say?”  Good question.  We as God’s people need to hear what God says and take heed to what He says.  The people of the world need to hear what God says, they need to hear what He says about repentance and faith, about His Son Jesus and the way to eternal life through Him.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Light For The Darkness

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There are many people in this world who are living in darkness.  In January of 2007, and December of that same year in the cities and counties surrounding the place I live, there had been ice storms which caused trees to fall, tree limbs to snap and fall onto power lines; and because of that thousands and thousands of homes, businesses, people were left without light and heat.  These events happened again this past Winter (2009) in most of Northern Arkansas, and other areas. This type of darkness comes to an end by renewing electrical power.  Sadly there were some who died as a result of these trials and icy circumstances.

There is,  however, an even icier situation going on in the world.  It is a situation where light is available, but no one wants it.  Many turn cold-heartedly away from the truth of light and darkness, and choose the darkness and cold rather than sight and warmth.  There is an answer to the distress of many people, and it can be found in the truth and light of the Word of God.

Hear the word of the Prophet:

“Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.” Isaiah 9:1 (KJV)

This, of course, is the beginning of a prophetic statement of One who will come and bring light to these two tribes who at a time before had been in great darkness.  The MACARTHUR STUDY BIBLE notes on this verse, “Zebulun…Naphtali…Galilee. Zebulun and Naphtali on the northern border in NE Galilee W of the Jordan River were the first to suffer from the invasion by the Assyrian king (2 Kin. 15:29), marking the beginning of dark days for Israel.” p. 968.  The whole northern kingdom of Israel had been wicked from their beginning, turned away from God set up golden calves as idols for their gods in the cities of Bethel and Dan, and were plunged into darkness.  They needed light, and they would receive light.

Zebulun and Naphtali may have been the first to experience the conquering power of the Assyrian king, but they would also be the first to experience the Light that was coming into the world.  If you will remember, Galilee is the place our Lord Jesus was raised by a godly mother and a man who taught Him as though he were His father.

When you realize you are in darkness it is time to call the power company, inform them of your plight, and then they will come and help you.  In the case of spiritual darkness you must first realize your spiritual darkness, and eternal plight, call on the Lord of Light who is Jesus Christ of whom the prophet preaches, and He will give you light.

The people in Springfield, Missouri; Joplin, Missouri; Harrison, Arkansas; Green Forrest, Arkansas, and surrounding cities, and counties eventually got their power back, had light, had heat, and were glad to get back into a warm bed at night and wake the next morning to a warm home.  This thing called “electricity” is a wonderful thing for giving light to darkness, and heat to warm the cold, and cool the heat of a hot Summer day. It does nothing however for eternity.  It is the greatest thing in the world to awake everyday in the Light of Jesus Christ, and know that your whole life is in His light, and that the power of eternity and eternal life is His.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Hurricane Prayer

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I don’t believe that I have ever asked for people to join me in prayer for such a need.  I believe we failed three years ago.  We failed to pray as the storm was approaching, and failed to pray as needs were or were not seen and established.

We must pray for our Lord and God to either change the path of the storm into a less populated area, and where there will be less property damage, or for Him to cause the storm to dissapate.  I know many of the people are leaving as the fear of the past seems to be coming back at them.

Let’s pray for God’s will for the city of New Orleans, and other coastal towns and cities, and the people who are in the path of Gustave.  Our God is a good, gracious, and loving God.  Let’s pray, and may the path of our prayers into the throne room of God cause the storm of fear to cease first of all, then the winds, rains, and damages of the storm Gustave be limited by God’s own hand.

Father be glorified in the storm and the storms that will come.  Glorify Your Son Jesus through the prayers of Your people.  Amen.

-Tim A. Blankenship

A Dry Wind

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“At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘ A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness toward the daughter of My people–Not to fan or to cleanse– A wind too strong for these will come for Me; Now I will also speak judgment against them. Behold, he shall come up like clouds, and his chariots like a whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered!” Jeremiah 4:11-13 (NKJV).

The prophet continues to warn of coming judgment if there is no true repentance. The heart of God is grieved, and the heart of the prophet grieves as well. He does not speak these words with glee as a child rejoices in a new gift, or a teen rejoices in receiving a new car; or an adult male who has just gotten married and is going on the honeymoon. The prophet is practically in a begging mode, as to say please repent before the judgment comes.

Jeremiah is known as the “‘Weeping prophet”, because of verses like chapter nine verse one. We will look at that later, but we can tell this man’s heart is broken for his people. It does grieve the man or woman of God when they see judgment coming on the people and the people don’t see, or want to see it, and they refuse to repent.

The judgment that was coming was like a dry desert storm, a sand storm, coming relentlessly, and anything that got in its way would be devastated; and it was coming toward the people of God, “My people…” (v. 11). This storm that was coming was not to provide a refreshing breeze to blow away chaff from wheat, nor for cleansing. This was for judgment. In this storm, with this storm would be such strong winds that it is too strong to stand against, because it is for the name of the LORD; “These will come for Me;” and it is the voice of God who is proclaiming judgment, because of their hardened and cold hearts toward Him.

The one Jeremiah refers to as coming “…up like clouds…” is Nebuchadnezzar, and his military might, coming with great speed, and power. It almost seems that Nebuchadnezzar and his force was almost right outside the city, and if not they were coming with great speed and would be to Jerusalem very soon. When the watchman sounds the warning, there is little time for repentance; it is time, however for repentance. The prophet describes the horses of the king of Babylon as being “swifter than eagles”. The description of the coming is almost as though it had already taken place, yet it is a future event, but not to distant future.. Notice the prophet’s words, “Woe to us, for we are plundered.” They have waited too long to repent to avert the judgment. It is, however, never too late to repnt and receive the cleansing, forgiveness and favor of God.

We live in a world, especially the United States of America, where no one ever sees the judgment of God. Some frown on the thought that AIDS could be the judgment of God upon our nation, and the world because of the “innocent who suffer from it”. Babies, the spouse who was infected due to an unfaithful spouse, a bad blood transfusion all considered to be the “innocent ones”. I wonder how many babies, and innocent spouses died in the flood? God is righteous and just, and He can judge however He chooses, and still be righteous and just in doing so. I am angered by what is happening in the State of California, however, with the allowance of marriages between same sex couples, I find that to be God’s judgment, and that there have been hundreds of fires started the week following the States verdict, were started by lightning, as a warning to repent. Not only that but there have also been a few earthquakes. God is not judging??? What about the floods in the midwest, and the thousands of acres of farmland that is under water??? What about the tornadoes that have touched, destroye, and devastated many lives, homes, cities, and States??? A Dry Wind dries things out, and makes them right for burning. At the time of this writing (June 25, ’08 ) there is a real “dry storm” brewing on the coast of California, and they need some wet rain. Lord, “In wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2.

God is calling for the repentance of His Church, His people; and for His people to be faithful in proclaiming His Word. If you are a Christian, you are a watchman. That requires faithful attention to the calls for repentance and judgments of God. If God’s people are blind to them, we can never expect the unrighteous to repent. God’s judgment is coming, it is already here, and it is real. God is patiently awaiting, but for how much longer.

-Tim A. Blankenship

 

The Prophecy of Noah

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Noah, and the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ

The covenant God made with Noah was also for the earth, and all of creation. At the end of the covenant God says, “This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” It was in fact a promise of redemption for all the earth.

We also have this passage of Scripture in the New Testament letter, written by Paul, named Romans. In the eighth chapter, Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ writes,

“For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that he whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (vv.20-23)

Since the sin – the fall – of Adam and Eve the earth, and all creation has experienced death pangs. What so called scientists are using to measure the age of the earth, are mostly signs of an earth that has been under judgment for six to ten thousand years. Volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, high straight winds, the crumbling of the ice packs are all signs of an earth that is groaning in its death pangs. It is all due to the sin of mankind, and it will one day be redeemed by the coming of the Lord Jesus back to earth.

Before we continue with this let’s back up and look at the beginning of the historic life and journey of Noah. In Genesis five we find Noah in a genealogical line from Adam, and ends with Noah. Of Noah we find these words, “And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham and Japheth.” Noah’s name means rest. It was in the days of Noah that the Lord would pour out His wrath on a sinful and disobedient world. It was revealed to Enoch who is mentioned in verse 24, and his son Methuselah’s birth was most likely the means by which God got Enoch’s attention and devotion.

Since this is about God’s covenant with Noah we need to get back to the issue of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Is the Millennial reign of Christ mentioned in the covenant? Not in the clearest way, but maybe in type, and by the promise. It is not specifically named as a “Millennial reign” or “one thousand years” or “a thousand years”, but by example.

In the first place why would God choose to save humanity, and mankind? It was due to His promise to Adam and Eve, and according to His eternal plan to deliver mankind from death, and evil. This would take the birth of a man who would live solely for God, fulfill His Word and will for His life; and then, even obey God to the extent of providing a substitutionary death for the redemption of mankind and all of creation. God created all that is for His own glory, and the man was His crowning achievement.

In the beginning when God was creating; He began with the planets and stars. He made a space for man to dwell, before He made the man. Some might think, “God sure wasted a lot of space”. I cannot see it that way at all. God waste nothing. The open space is there for us to see, to enjoy and to stand in awe of the Creator who is Himself so vast and huge, that we could possibly know someone so amazing, and worthy of worship. When God placed all the planets in place, giving them the correct and desired order of orbit, rotations, and revolutions. Placing the earth within just the right distance from the sun to warm the earth for the life which would be created here. Plants were created after their kind. Animals were created after their kind, and last of all one made in the image and likeness of God was made from the dust of the earth. And God made him a living soul. An eternal being who was not meant to die, but live forever. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). It was intended that man was to have dominion over the earth. The millennial reign of Jesus Christ will be the fulfillment of all of the promises.

Jesus said, ” But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37-39 (KJV). The Lord will not allow this earth to continue in wickedness, and rejection of Him. Right now sin is its own judgment. Jeremiah the prophet speaks of one’s personal wickedness correcting them; “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee…” (Jeremiah 2:19). Jesus will come again when evil has reached its peak, its heyday, its worst, and chaos has ruled the day. Deliverance will come by Jesus Christ in His glorious appearing, with His saints, evil will be crushed, and His kingdom on earth will be established; with His reign from Jerusalem.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come soon.

–by Tim A. Blankenship

The Omniscience of God

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God’s All-Knowledge

The prophet, at least about to be, is sharing his call from God with us as we look at the rest of chapter one. Our verses today will just be verses four and five. I want to keep these articles relatively short. They are usually the ones which will be read, if most people are like me in that respect.

“Then the word of the LORD came to me saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NKJV).

While Jeremiah was serving as a priest with his family it surely grieved his heart to see the wickedness in the land. Many times this is the way God moves and works in calling men to serve as pastors, preachers, teachers, and other works. He places a burden upon the heart, and you go and grow in that as you hear the Lord and see Him work you just find yourself enjoying what He has called you to do.

The Lord had this planned for the prophet from the time the world was established. One of the things that the man of God needs to know and realize about God is that He is Omniscient, and that simply means that He is AllKnowing. There is nothing that God, the Creator of all that is, does not know. Someone has asked the question, “Is there anything God can learn?” Well the answer to that, if God is AllKnowing, is NO! Because He already knows everything there is to know.

That means He is never surprised by events, “accidents”, incidents, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, car wrecks, bombs exploding, or wars. You could put just about anything in there that you could think of.

God knew Jeremiah before he was conceived in the womb, and you could say, it was God who gave the seed that caused Jeremiah to be. There is a good thing we can see from this and that is that none of us are an accident. God made us to be.

These verses are often used by those who are pro-life, which I am, to show that there is human life in the womb of the mother, concerning the baby. It is not just a blob of tissue, a mass which has invaded the body of the woman. It is a special, ordained by God, individual for whom He has plans; whether the woman does or not. I guess her plans; the woman getting an abortion; are extinction.

The prophet is “Sanctified” which is set apart to be clean, appointed, prepared to do a task, and that task as we shall see is to proclaim the word of the LORD to God’s people of Judah, and to the nations.

He is “Ordained” by God to proclaim the message God puts in his mouth, and upon his lips. He is to speak what God tells him to speak, and not withhold one word. That is the work of the prophet of God. Speak the word of God and do it with all one’s strength, and then the strength of God.

God knows you. He knew you before you were conceived. Yield your life to Him.

The King Deals With Nature

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The King Deals with Nature

Matthew 8:23-27

In verse 18 of this chapter we see Jesus giving commandment “to depart to the other side.” After a delay of sorts, now, we find Jesus and the disciples in the boat and going toward the other side.

According to many different writers and people familiar with the Sea of Galilee it is known to be a storm filled body of water. Storms can come up from almost out of nowhere. According to the MACARTHUR STUDY BIBLE, “The Sea of Galilee is more than 690 ft. below sea level. To the N. Mt. Hermon rises 9,200 ft, and from May to Oct. strong winds often sweep through the narrow surrounding gorges into this valley, causing extremely sudden and violent storms.” p. 1406

In looking at this we need remember formost, that, it was Jesus who commanded that they get into the boat and go to the other side. It was not just coincidence that a storm comes along. Who is in charge of the storms?

“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27 (KJV).

As Jesus had given commandment in verse eighteen to go to the other side, He now gets into one of the fishing boats, and His disciples follow Him. After a while in crossing, evidently, a storm suddenly arises. It has been a little time because Jesus has gone to sleep. While He is sleeping a storm comes up which by all accounts is not an uncommon event, but quite normal.

The humanity of Jesus is seen here and shows us clearly that He is human. That is to tear away the ludicrous thought that He was merely an apparition, or just a spiritual being. There are other examples Jesus lets us see to show that He is human. Such as; we see Him from time to time eating, and even following the resurrection, and there it shows us that He still possesses a body, which is no longer temporal, but still a body; there is also His need to go apart and pray; we also see His tears as He wept at Lazarus’s grave.

Jesus slept even in the storm. What kind of man or woman; for that matter can sleep during a violent storm? One who is at peace and is secure of their destiny. There are also two other types who can. One is like Jonah who was surely emotionally drained and depressed because of his rebellion. The other one would be exhaustion, or dead. The last one could fit our Lord, but it is not likely due to His spiritual perception, and most certainly the first one which Jonah was most likely guilty of would not fit our Lord. Jesus slept because He needed the rest, and the disciples needed the test.

The storm so common for Galilee came up a storm which made the fishermen among them all fearful. The boat was tossed from side to side, rolling and reeling, up and down, down and up. It was evidently a storm unlike anything that Peter, Andrew, James, or John had ever dealt with. Experienced fishermen would not have been overly worked up over they typical storm; so I believe this one was different. It may have even been of supernatural causes, because of what was on the other side. I will get to that in the next study. Even so the Lord is still in charge of the storm. Any storm.

A storm. A panicked disciple body. A sleeping God-man. This is a scene unlike anything anyone could ever just imagine. There is no way something like this could be fictional. It makes a great story, and it is a true story. They see Jesus sleeping and rush over to Him, awake Him, and their cry is one of panic. “Lord, save us! We are perishing.” (NKJV). Do they not remember His command? Do they not know that the Lord has a destiny to fulfill? Do they not realize that Jesus had purpose for going to the other side? Since Jesus had commanded them to “Depart to the other side”, they should have believed they would get to the other side.

Their faith is weak. Our faith is often weak when it comes to the storms of life. The storms we go through are just as real. They too toss our boat from side to side, rolling and reeling, up and down, down and up. Even making us sick from fear at times. The Lord has a purpose for our lives. The main purpose of all our lives is to glorify Him. Now, if we truly realized that couldn’t we leave all the details and storms of life in His hands. If we live we glorify Him. If we perish we glorify Him.

The God-man is awakened from His sleep. While the man slept God was keeping all things in His hand, and not one thing could happen without the Father’s permission. Not one. Jesus rebukes the weakness of the disciples faith.

Remember, Jesus had given them commandment to go to the other side. Would Jesus have put them in a boat, and with Him in the boat with them at that; to perish before finishing the journey? Not likely. Jesus was to go to the other side. The disciples were to go to the other side. Someone said, “Where God guides He provides”. If He was guiding to the other side they would go to the other side.

Another thing; Jesus had taught them, at least by His power, that He was the Son of God, and that He had a task to finish. Did the disciples think that He would not finish the course that was laid out for Him? If we would just ignore that the storm may have been supernatural in origin; due to its intensity and the fear it struck in the hearts of experienced fishermen; we might assume that the disciples did not believe the things Jesus had said and did. Indeed we could agree with Jesus asking, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”.

The disciple of Jesus Christ who knows their destiny is in God’s hands needs never fear the trials and storms they go through. We may ask and wonder “Why?”, but we need never be afraid. That is easier said than practiced. There has been many a time when troubles come and fear has come in and, when that happens, that is when I know that things are amiss between my Lord and me.

It seems that the question in the minds of the disciples of His true identity is known now. Up to this point; according to the gospel of Matthew; they have witnessed Jesus healing and cleansing a leper; they have seen Him heal the centurion’s servant, and just by His Word; Peter’s mother-in-Law was raised from her sickbed; and He has healed numerous other sicknesses, diseases, and cast out demons. Now they see even Nature itself bow to Him, and yield to His authority over her.

Who can command the wind and the seas? Only God can. Who can simply speak a word, and cause an angry sea to be calm and the wind cease? Only God can.

When you have a turbulent time in your life you can turn to the One who can still all storms. There was a child of 10 years or so, and even before he was saved, that a very loud, lightning striking, thunder booming storm awoke him in the middle of the night. He began crying in fear. He also remembered the words of Jesus at this storm, and he just spoke them, and the storm stopped. To this day he is not certain whether the literal storm of rain, thunder, and lightning stopped or if he just went to sleep. He believes it was the latter. Either way the storm stopped. At least for him. To this very day, he is fascinated by storms. He respects them, but when one comes along he is not crippled by fear, or causes him to doubt. That is from the Lord.

Who, indeed, can this be, “That even the winds and the sea obey Him?” He is the Son of God. He is King of kings. He is Lord of lords. He is the Master of all storms; even the storm in your life.