Youth Service in Malang, January 17, 2015 (Saturday Evening)
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 8 refers to the Golden Candlestick. In Luke 8, there are seven stories that refer to seven lamps on the Golden Candlestick and they are as follows:
- Many Women Minister to Jesus (Luke 8:1-3).
- The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15).
- The Parable of the Revealed Light (Luke 8:16-18).
- Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Come to Him (Luke 8:19-21).
- Wind and Wave Obey Jesus (Luke 8:22-25).
- A Demon-Possessed Man Healed (Luke 8:26-39).
- A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed (Luke 8:40-56).
We discuss the fifth story namely Wind and Wave Obey Jesus.
Luke 8:22-25
8:22. Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out.
8:23. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.
8:24. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.
8:25. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"
God invites His disciples to cross over to the other side of the lake.
It refers to the yearning of God that we can use our body to worship Him.
John 6:63
6:63. "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
The flesh profits nothing because it sins and perishes forever.
1 Peter 1:18-19
1:18. knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
1:19. but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
God redeems us; the sinners who profit nothing, with His precious blood, so we can be precious in His sight, even become the temple of God.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
3:16. Do you not know that you are the temple of Godand that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
3:17. If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
After being redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, our body becomes the precious temple of God in His sight and we will be defended so much by Him.
That is why; do not be careless with our body which is the temple of God! Do not defile the temple of God by physical deeds such as speeding on the street, getting drunk, smoking, and doing sin up to the peak of the sin.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
6:19. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
6:20. For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
We have to use our body to glorify God through ministry that obtains favor before Him.
Luke 8:22
8:22. Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out.
The yearning of God for us is we cross over to the other side of the lake.
It means the yearning of God that we can worship and glorify Him until we reach the haven of peace, the kingdom of Heaven forever.
So, the ministry to God is as follows:
- God's way for moving us from curse ambience in the world to the feel of peace and eternal happiness of Heaven.
- God's way for moving us from this world to the eternal kingdom of Heaven or New Jerusalem forever.
Luke 8:23-24
8:23. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came downon the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.
8:24. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.
In ministering God, we have to encounter windstorm from Satan that has the power of death to drown and destroy us.
Drowning means we start laboring, being heavy laden, and full of tears, sorrow, and failure up to perishing forever.
But, God does not want that our lives sink and perish because of the windstorm from Satan.
How does God help us?
- From God's side: Jesus must sleep. It is the same as He died on the cross with five main wounds. Two wounds at the hands and the other two at the feet were for saving Israel. The other one was at His side so blood and water came out for saving the Gentiles.
Hebrews 2:14-16
2:14. Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroyhim who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
2:15. and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
2:16. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
Jesus died on the cross and destroyed the devil for saving Israel and the Gentiles.
- From our side.
How great a man in the world is, he cannot defeat Satan who has the power of death.
If we just count on cleverness, wealth, position, experience, et cetera, we surely drown in the sea of the world filled by windstorm with the power of death from Satan.
From our side, we must awake Jesus who is sleeping. It is the same as we look Jesus who died on the cross with the side that was pierced by a spear, and immediately blood and water came out of it.
The sign of blood refers to repentance;it is the same as confessing sin to God (vertical) and others (horizontal).
If we are forgiven, do not sin anymore.
Revelation 21:8
21:8. "But the cowardly(1), unbelieving(2), abominable(3), murderers(4), sexually immoral(5), sorcerers(6), idolaters(7), and all liars(8)shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
The repentance starts from eight sins as follows:
- The cowardly. It means one fears something until he is against God.
- Unbelieving or doubt.
- Abominable or evil.
- Murderers or hatred without a cause.
- Sexually immoral, including sin of eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage.
- Sorcerers, including amulets and fortune-telling.
- Idolaters.
- Liars.
The sign of water refers to water baptism.
Romans 6:4
6:4. Therefore we were buriedwith Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raisedfrom the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The true water baptism is one who has died to sin or repented must be buried in the water with Jesus and come out or rise from water with Him to receive new or Heavenly life.
New life is one lives in righteousness or of faith.
Galatians 3:7
3:7. Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
The practice of living in righteousness or of faithis like Jesus who sleeps. We do not count on eyes, because we do not live by sight.
We do not count on mind and feel.
But, we always hear true teaching Word.
Our sight is spiritual, namely we totally surrender to God, just see Him, and pray with faith to Him.
Prayer with faith avails much. It is the same as awakening Jesus to help us.
Jesus rebukes the wind and the raging of the water to be calm. It means all impossible problems are finished in His time.
Sleeping also means we experience peace and happiness of Heaven and all things become easy and light.
God gives beautiful and successful future until we are guided to the haven of New Jerusalem.
Psalms 107:28-30
107:28. Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses.
107:29. He calms the storm, So that its waves are still.
107:30. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven.
God blesses us.