01.January.23

Today is Jesus invited you onto the boat, do you want to follow Jesus over to the other side? To do so, first you must cross over this body of water. Water represents our troubles, financial crisis, sins etc. (Matt. 8:23–27; Luke 8:22–25)

The Lord has control over the waters. If Jesus invites you over the waters, He’ll be responsible for you. The other side is crossing the waters above the heavens and getting into His kingdom. There is the waters between the third heaven and the expanse, where we are and where God’s throne is; we have to cross over to the other side of those waters.

Revelation 17:15
Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.

Waters represents the sinfulness of this world. Jesus wants us to pass over the sins and corruption of this world.

Not everyone can cross the Red Sea, the Egyptians all perished in it. Today Jesus is inviting us to cross over, don’t perish in the waters of the Red Sea or the Jordan River, we need to cross over.

To cross we need a boat, or for Jesus to part the waters. The only boat for us is the one Jesus is on. This boat represents the church! Today we’ve to check if Jesus is in the boat of our church, and the boat of our lives.

Let’s set sail!

1. We need to leave the crowd {and get on the boat}

Mark 4:36
Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

Some people say they believe in Jesus but they don’t get on the boat, they stand on the shore and wait for Jesus to come ashore to do miracles and show them. These are people who can’t fully commit to Jesus.

Today Jesus is asking us to go! His invite is such an honour! Leave the crowd and go, and the result is eternal life and transfiguration. If Jesus invites you, you’ll eventually get on the boat even if you’re stubborn.

The crowd can represent my family, my job, my stability, my ways, my country etc. Noah, Abraham, Jacob they all left at the command of God. Can we leave the crowd today?

Revelation 14:4
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

Only those who get on the boat can get to the other side. May all Zion Church members do so. Amen. The boat is not always smooth sailing, there are winds and waves. But even the winds and waves obey Jesus!

Matthew 8:26-27
But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Going to heaven is never easy, it’s the narrow path. Jesus said there are tribulations, trials and hardships. Satan wants to make sure we don’t succeed. But God will make a way of escape for us. We just need to make sure Jesus is on the boat. (Acts 14:21-22)

1 Corinthians 10:11-13
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We might think that without trials, we’ll believe in God better but that’s not true. Winds and waves push away the corruption of this world. So we can stay focused, alert and awake. So even if I’m encountering hardships, we should give thanks.

Our spiritual eyes have to be open so we can recognise Jesus. (Mark 4:38-40)

However in today’s passage, Jesus fell asleep on a pillow and the disciples were panicking. But we must remember that Jesus is on the same boat, He won’t let the boat go down.

If you’re afraid that means you’ve no faith. It means your spiritual eyes are closed. Peter walked on water when his eyes were fixed on Jesus, but once he looked at the wind and waves, he fell into the water. This means it’s not easy to stay in church, we’ve to keep looking for Jesus in our lives.

Tests and trials is for us to overcome and stay on the correct path. (Hebrews 12:22-23, Ephesians 2:5-6, Isaiah 63:9)

When we get on the boat with Jesus, we have His righteousness even though we don’t deserve it. We only need stay on this boat.

(1) One practical way is to have a task.

For example, pastors don’t miss Sunday service or come late for service, unless they’re really sick or have a valid reason. This is because he has a task given by God. So we must do God’s work in church to stay on the boat.

Psalms 124:1-6

The LORD the Defense of His People
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—
“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
When men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their wrath was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,
The stream would have gone over our soul;
Then the swollen waters
Would have gone over our soul.”
Blessed be the LORD,
Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.

(2) We need to have the Word of God.

Sometimes a pastor’s dilemma is whether he should preach certain things? Would his sermon offend the congregation? That’s why he try to ask God for inspiration all the time. The Word of God is alive, so we have to go back to the Word and focus on it.

Matthew 24:38-39
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

The people of Noah’s time perished because they didn’t understand, and they didn’t get on the boat! We must not become like that. Instead we have to be people who would get on the boat with Jesus.

AMEN.