FOCUS ON CHRIST AND NOT ON OUR SITUATION

PROCLAMATION

“ ‘Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter replied, tell me to come to You on the water.’  ‘Come,’ He said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’  Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.  ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’ ”  Matthew 14:28-31 (NIV)  

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to the Apostle Matthew.  While Jesus, The Christ, was in His hometown, He heard that John the baptizer had been beheaded by King Herod. (Matthew 14:1-12)  He then withdrew by boat to a solitary place.  Crowds followed Him on foot around the lake.  When he reached the shore, He saw a large crowd.  He had compassion on them and healed the sick among them. (Matthew 14:13-14)  As evening approached, His disciples told Him to send the people away so that they could buy food for themselves.  Jesus told His disciples to feed them and they replied that they only had two small fish and five barley loaves of bread. (Matthew 14:15-17)  Jesus told them to tell the people to sit down and bring Him the fish and bread.  He blessed them, broke them, and fed five thousand men plus their women and children.  They all ate until they were satisfied and there were twelve baskets full of left-over pieces. (Matthew 14:18-21)  Then Jesus told His disciples to get into the boat and go back to the other side of the lake.  He dismissed the crowd and went up to a mountainside to pray.  Later that night, shortly before dawn, He walked on water out to the boat. (Matthew 14:22-25)  When His disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were afraid.  Jesus said to them, “Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.” (Matthew 14:26-27)  That was when Peter said, “Lord, if it be You, bid me come unto You on the water.”  Peter walked on water as long as he focused on Christ.  However, when he took his eyes off of Christ and focused on the wind and waves around him, he began to sink.

APPLICATION

Christ is omnipotent and He can use His power to help us to do that which seems impossible.  Through Him we can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)  Our God is bigger than our problems.  He is more powerful than the storms of life that we face.  In fact, He controls the storms.  He can calm the storms or give us the strength to go through them.  Either way, He will be with us.  We will survive the storms as long as we believe and focus on Him and not on the storm.

CHRIST JESUS HEALED THE SICK AND RAISED THE DEAD

Proclamation:

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.  She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak … immediately her bleeding stopped … He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you.  Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”  Mark 5:25-34 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Mark.  This is the gospel as he received it from the apostle Peter.  In this chapter Mark recounts the healing of the man possessed with many demons, (Mark 5:1-20) the healing of the woman with an issue of blood for twelve years, and the raising of the dead twelve year old daughter of Jairus, one of the synagogue leaders. (Mark 5:22-24 and 35-43)

Application:

Modern medicine is great.  Today, doctors can treat and cure a number of different diseases and conditions.  However, there are still a large number of diseases and disorders that they cannot cure or even diagnose.  Jesus, The Christ, has the power to cure any and everything. (Mark 3:10)  He is omnipotent and all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)  Just because He can does not mean that He will.  All too often the problem is our lack of faith in Him. (Mark 5:34)  It is also possible that the illnesses that we suffer are our punishment for our sins. (2 Corinthians 12:7)  We may also suffer because of the sins of our parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. (Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9)  He can bestow His grace on whomever He chooses.  So, believe in Him, ask to be healed, and have faith that it will happen.

THERE IS NO NEED TO FEAR THE STORMS OF LIFE

Proclamation:

“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 to 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 4:37-41 (KJV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by John Mark, a nephew of Barnabas but not an apostle.  This is the gospel as he received it from Simon Peter.  He began chapter four where he ended chapter three, with Jesus by the sea side with the great crowd that had followed Him.  After He sat in the ship near the shore, He began to teach them using parables. (Mark 4:1-2)  He taught them the parable of the sower and the seed, (Mark 4:3-8) the parable of the growing seed, (Mark 4:26-29) and the parable of the mustard seed. (Mark 4:30-32)  Jesus taught them many parables that day and when the evening came He told His disciples to sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. (Mark 4:33-36)  They were crossing the sea when the great storm came upon them.  The disciples panicked and woke Jesus.  He calmed the storm and then questioned their faith.  They became even more fearful when they realized that the wind and the sea obeyed Him.

Application:

As believers we will go through many storms in this life but there is no need for us to be afraid because The Holy Spirit of The Lord God is always with us. (Hebrews 13:5)  He can calm the storms if He chooses to do so, or He can provide us with safe passage through the storms.  Either way, there is no need for us to fear the storms.  If, however, it is in God’s plan for our life to end during a storm, we know that being absent from the body means that we are present with The Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8) so there is still nothing for us to fear from the storms. 

WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR FAITH IN THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“… A centurion’s servant … was sick and about to die … The centurion sent some elders … asking Him to come and heal his servant … ‘Lord … I do not deserve to have You come under my roof … But say the word, and my servant will be healed’ … When Jesus heard this … He said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’”  Luke 7:1-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul.  Luke begins this chapter by presenting the great faith of a humble centurion whose valued servant was very sick.  He asked some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant, then sent some of his friends to ask Jesus not to come to his house but to speak the word and heal his servant. (Luke 7:1-10)  After this Luke recounts how Jesus spoke and raised up the widow’s dead son who was being carried to his grave. (Luke 7:11-17)  Luke then presents the discussion which occurred between Jesus and some of the disciples of John, the baptizer. (Luke 7:18-35)  The chapter ends with the discussion that Jesus had with the Pharisee about the sinful woman who anointed His feet while He was having dinner at the Pharisee’s house. (Luke 7:36-50)   

Application:

Most believers only have a little faith in The Lord God. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, and 16:8)  Our faith is smaller than a grain of mustard seed. (Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6)  We say that we have faith in Him but our actions and our behavior say otherwise.  This centurion had such great faith that it even impressed Jesus. (Luke 7:9)  He was humble.  He wanted Jesus to help him by healing his servant but he did not feel that he was worthy enough to approach Jesus himself so he asked others to go to Jesus for him. (Luke 7:3-7)  He believed that Jesus could speak the word and heal his servant.  The Word of God is powerful.  He spoke and created something out of nothing. (Genesis 1:3-14)  He spoke and controlled the wind and the sea. (Mark 4:39)  On three separate occasions Jesus spoke and raised the dead. (Luke 7:14, Luke 8:52, and John 11:43)  We ought to increase our faith in Him and exercise our faith more often.

PRAY THEN HAVE FAITH AND BEHAVE LIKE IT IS ALREADY DONE

Proclamation:

“Praise be The Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.”  Psalm 28:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In the first half of this psalm David prays and petitions The Lord. (Psalm 28:1-5)  In the second half of the psalm he offers thanksgiving to The Lord for hearing him and helping him. (Psalm 28:6-9)  David realized how dependent he was upon God’s help, and he knew what would happen to him if God did not help him so he cried out for mercy. (Psalm 28:1-2)  Then he praised The Lord God for hearing and answering his prayer and for helping him before his situation had changed. (Psalm 28:6-7)  After which he prays and asks for blessings for the people of God, for their safety and provisions.

Application:

In times of crises, as believers we ought to display more confidence in The Lord.  After we pray and ask Him something, we ought to demonstrate our faith in Him by acting as though we know that He heard our prayer and that which we asked for is already done, the blessing is on the way.   As believers we know that our strength and help comes from The Lord, and we ought to be joyful, thankful, and give Him praise.  Only The Lord God can turn the sorrow of His saints into songs of praise, and turn trials into triumph.

PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD

Proclamation:

“In You, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Your righteousness.”  Psalm 31:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm of King David was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  It was written to the people of God to encourage them to love The Lord, keep the faith, be strong, and be of good courage. (Psalm 31:23-24)  David’s prayer life and his faith walk went hand in hand. (Psalm 31:5)  He was in trouble and he was distressed. (Psalm 31:9-10)  However, instead of giving in and giving up, he put his trust in The Lord. (Psalm 31:14-16)

Application:

It would be good for all believers to read Psalm 31 when things are not going well in our lives.  “In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Thy righteousness.” (Psalm 31:1 KJV)  “… Come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge … deliver me, Lord, my faithful God … I will be glad and rejoice in Your love … Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress … I have become like broken pottery … But I trust in You, Lord … Let Your face shine on Your servant; save me with Your unfailing love … How abundant are the good things that You have stored up for those who fear You … Praise be to The Lord, for He showed me the wonders of His love …”  (Psalm 31:1-24 shortened)  As I have said on more than one occasion, sometimes we just need to pray like David prayed.

PRAY FOR IT AND THEN PREPARE FOR IT

Proclamation:

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."  Matthew 21:22 (KJV)  The New International Version of The Holy Bible reads: "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (NIV)

Explanation:

The Apostle Matthew recorded these words which Jesus spoke to His disciples after He spoke and the fig tree withered.  He told them that if they had faith, and did not doubt, they could speak to a mountain and tell it to throw itself into the sea, and it would be done.  Jesus told them that they would receive whatever they asked for in prayer, if they had faith, and believed without a doubt that they would receive it. 

Application:
As believers today, we need to increase our faith in The Lord.  When we pray and ask for something, we need to begin to prepare to receive it.  We shouldn't just pray for it, we should believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt that it will happen and then prepare to receive it.  We should act like it is already done.  If it is in His will, it is already done. (John 15:7)  We could do so much more if we sincerely prayed and believed. (James 5:16)  Pray for it, believe it, prepare for it, and receive it.