Mark 4:35 (NKJV) On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
The above Scripture is from the passage where Jesus was still asleep in the boat when the waves were filling up the boat and they were about to sink. Jesus was calm because He had already given them a Word “Let us cross over to the other side.” The lesson to learn is to take Jesus’ Word for it even when the circumstances may look contrary to what has been promised. It is a test of how much we know God as well as His character.
When we walk by faith, there is always a fight between what we have heard from God and the contrary circumstances while we wait for the promise to come to pass, and what will help us to hold onto our faith is the Word that has been spoken to us personally. That is why in all major decisions, we need to make sure we are in the will of God by having a Word from God. He must be part of the decision process.
Matthew 14:28-29 (NKJV) And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
The only prayer where we utter the word “if” is the prayer of consecration because we do not know whether it is God’s will. This is the prayer that we can pray daily until we hear from the Lord whether it is a “yes”, “no”, or “wait”. Peter likewise sought Jesus to give him a Word before he attempted to walk on water.
The most common mistake or shortcut by men to know the will of God is to send out a fleece to God as Gideon did (Judges 6:36-40) because they lack patience. This started the practice of asking God to open and close the door, but there is no safeguard in this way of praying because the devil who is the god of this age can manipulate circumstances to deceive us.
Gideon did not have the full counsel of the Word and the Holy Spirit living in him in the Old Testament. However, we have the full counsel of the Word and the witness of the Holy Spirit living in us in the New Testament church. God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. As many as are led by the Spirit of God these are the sons of God. God will speak to us in clarity through His Word and the witness of the Holy Spirit but we must keep ourselves sensitive or sharp in the leading of the Holy Spirit by yielding to Him in all matters.
Sermon Series: Walking on Water
从上帝而来的话语才最重要
马可福音 4:35 当那天晚上，耶稣对门徒说：“我们渡到那边去吧。”
以上的经文出自耶稣在船上睡觉时的一段经文，当时海浪打入船内，船满了水将要下沉。耶稣很平静，因为祂已经对他们说“我们渡到那边去吧”。从这里所学到的功课是，即使当时的环境与祂所应许的相反时，仍要相信祂的话。这是一个对我们了解上帝及祂的属性程度的考验。
当我们凭着信心行事，在我们等待应许被应验的过程中，我们从上帝那里得到的应许总会与相反的现实环境之间会有一场争战。而帮助我们坚守信心的是上帝对我们个人所说的话，也就是给我们的应许。因此我们做所有重大的决定时，需要确定我们有从神而来的话语并行在祂的旨意中。祂必须参与做决策的过程。
马太福音 14:28-29 彼得说：“主，如果是你，请叫我从水面上走到你那里去。”耶稣说：“你来吧！”彼得就从船上下去，在水面上走，要到耶稣那里去。
我们通常不会说“如果…”在我们的祷告中，这个词只会当我们在做分别为圣的祷告时说的，因为我们还不清楚神的旨意。这是我们每天都可以做的祷告，直到我们从神那里听到“可以”、“不可以”或”再等等”。彼得试图在水上行走之前，他同样寻求耶稣给他一句话。
人们为了了解上帝的旨意而犯的常见错误或想走的捷径就是像基甸一样把羊毛交给上帝（士师记6：36-40），因为他们缺乏耐心。这使得人们开始向上帝祈求打开或关上门，但这种祷告方式没有任何的保障或圣经上的根据，因为魔鬼，即这世界的神能够操纵环境来欺骗我们。
在旧约中，基甸没有上帝的话语和圣灵作为全备的顾问。然而，在新约教会中我们有上帝的话语作为全备的顾问和圣灵的印证。上帝的话语是我们脚前的灯，也是我们路上的光。凡被圣灵所带领的，都是上帝的儿女。上帝会通过祂的话语和圣灵的印证清晰地对我们说话，但我们必须在所有的事情上都顺服于祂，从而保持自己对圣灵的敏感和敏锐性。
讲章系列：行在水面上
Image Source：pixabay.com