Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Although much more could be taught about the miracle of Jesus and Peter walking on the water and the events surrounding it, this will be the last message on this for the time being. In the Book of Mark, I used to read the following verse years ago, and it didn’t make sense to me.
Mark 6:48
And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
The part of Mark 6:48 that made no sense to me was the very last of the verse, “and would have passed by them.” I often wondered why Jesus, seeing the disciples toiling in the storm, would walk right by the boat and not acknowledge or help them? I just could not reconcile this action by Jesus with the Jesus that compassionately healed all people that would be healed, cast out demons, raised the dead, forgave sinners, spent time with sinners in their homes, ate with them, had sinners visit with and eat with Him in His own home in Capernaum, etc. I couldn’t reconcile the compassionate, gracious, merciful Jesus with this Jesus’ behavior toward the disciples toiling in the storm and fearful of this spirit they see walking on water. Why couldn’t I reconcile this? I didn’t have the revelation or ability to discern God’s Word. Why? Because I didn’t diligently seek after The Word, after God. I sought after Him on my time, when it was convenient for me, when I could spare some time for The Word and some time with God. God does not honor this. Notice, revelation, wisdom, knowledge, and instruction come from DILIGENTLY seeking after God. If one is diligent about something, it means this thing they are diligent about is of great value or importance to them. Remember in earlier messages we learned God is preeminent, which means He can never be second to anything – including to anything in our lives. God cannot and will not be second. If God is not first in your life, don’t expect to have a life of victory. You cannot have God as part-time or second place and get prayer answered or decrees fulfilled.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that He [God] is, and that He [God] is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
How do we diligently seek God? There is only one way – through His Word. God is The Word, and The Word is God. And The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word existed since the beginning, is established forever, and changes not. The Word is above all His Name, and He answers to His Word. Notice Hebrews 11:6 says God rewards those that diligently seek Him. How does God reward them? With revelation, or rhema, knowledge and wisdom. This knowledge and wisdom becomes faith, or also known as Truth, in the heart of the Believer. Notice what it tells us in Romans 14:23: “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” We have been taught by The Holy Spirit there are only two states in which a Believer can exist: faith or fear. There is no third choice, no grey area, and no maybe. It is very simple, faith or fear. When we’re taught there are only two states a Believer can exist in, it is talking about our hearts. We’ll address this more later in this message.
Romans 14:23
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Let’s look to the next verse, Mark 6:49.
Mark 6:49
But when they saw Him [Jesus] walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
If we look at Matthew 14:26, the last part of the verse says, “and they cried out for fear.” The last part of John 6:19 says, “and they were afraid.” All three verses convey the disciples were in fear at both the storm and the spirit they saw walking on the water toward them. Two of the verses tell us they “cried out” or “cried out for fear.” Ok Larry, where are you taking us with all of this? Jesus would have passed by the ship had not the disciples cried out to God. But Larry, nowhere does it say they cried out to God. It only says they cried out and cried out in fear. In order to answer this, we must go to the Book of Exodus.
Exodus 2:23
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
The word “cried” is the Hebrew word “zaaq,” which means, “absolute, utterance of horror, anxiety, alarm, distress, sorrow, etc.”
Exodus 2:24-25
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
The word “groaning” is the Hebrew word “neaqah,” which means, “groaning of oppressed people.”
Matthew 14:26
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
The word “cried out” in Matthew 14:26 is the Greek word “krazo,” which means, “cry out loudly with an urgent scream or shriek, using ‘inarticulate shouts that express deep emotion.'”
Ok, so what is the purpose of the verses in Exodus and Matthew? I’ve spoken of The Law of First Mention in the Bible. “The Law of First Mention is a principle used in Biblical Hermeneutics (the study of how to interpret the Bible) that suggests the first time a concept, theme, or word appears in the Scripture, it holds foundational truth and sets a precedent for its further development later in the text. The premise of The Law of First Mention comes from the fact the Bible is a supernatural work with a perfectly coherent message written by God. God reveals Himself and His truths progressively over the course of the Bible. The initial mention of a concept is considered to lay down a defining theological foundation, which is then built upon in subsequent mentions.”
So, how do the verses in Exodus apply to the verses of Matthew 14:26 and Mark 6:49? It helps us to understand to Whom the disciples “cried out with fear” and why Jesus responded to their cry. Look, if you don’t STUDY The Word, you are not a hearer, only a listener. And Romans 10:17 tells us “faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word of God.” We must study to discern God’s Word, and we must “hear” it over and over from our mouths to our Spiritual ears and heart for it to become Truth. This is called meditation. Otherwise, what we read in God’s Word is nothing more than words to us. It is not Truth. Words can ONLY harm you. However, The Truth is the only thing that can help you. It really is this simple.
What I’m about to explain next is super important for us to grasp. If you can truly grasp this and have it become Truth to you, “you shall know The Truth, and The Truth shall make you free.” Look at Exodus 2:24 closely.
Exodus 2:24
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
Notice when the disciples “cried out,” the Greek word in Matthew 14:26 is the same definition as the Hebrew words in Exodus 2:23-24. According to The Law of First Mention, in Exodus, God heard their cry, their groaning, and He remembered HIS covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is important for us. Notice in Matthew 14:26 and Mark 6:49 that Jesus, God in the flesh, reacted to the “cries” of the disciples as He walked on the water. Why? Because of the covenant.
Psalm 89:34
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.
So let me share another revelation of God’s Word. If you read the three accounts in Matthew, Mark, and John, Jesus never scolded the disciples for having no faith. The only disciple Jesus addressed in this manner was Peter when he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink in the water. What can we discern from this? God will only react to faith. He will not react to fear. But Larry, The Scriptures tell us the disciples were fearful or afraid. Ok, this is confusing, right? Can you be in fear and faith simultaneously? Yes. Let me explain before you stone me. A Believer can believe in their heart, but they can have doubt, or fear, in their mind. Romans 10:9-10 gives us the Spiritual blueprint for faith: believe in the heart and confess with the mouth. It does not say “believe in the mind…” Take salvation for instance. It makes no sense to the mind. The mind can doubt because it is physical, or natural, and therefore cannot discern The Word. On the other hand, faith is found in the heart. It is the heart that discerns The Word. Our mind, which represents our senses, has never seen, touched, smelled, tasted, or heard Jesus in the flesh. However, our heart can see, can touch, can smell, can taste, and can hear Jesus in the Spirit. There are verses in The Scriptures that tell us all five of our Spiritual senses, not fleshly senses, have had interaction with Jesus Christ. So, yes, a Believer can believe in their heart, which is faith, and have doubt in their mind, which is fear.
Now, I don’t want to confuse you. The disciples, from an earlier message, were in negative faith from the start of the journey until the time they cried out in desperate faith. They would never have had to endure the storm had they addressed it in faith after having seen and participated in the feeding of the 5000 men. So, it is like us, as Believers, in that we start out in our own wisdom and strength until things become a mess, and we are desperate. Then we cry out in faith for God to save us from the situation. While it is good to cry out in faith to God, it is not good to start out in our own strength and wisdom. Why? Because we invite the curse, and we suffer needless consequences.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us it is impossible to please God without faith. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, only reacted to faith. He did not react to fear in the heart. When it is said we’re either in faith or fear, it is speaking of our soulish heart. Our Spiritual heart, which is Jesus in us, is always in faith. Like III John 2 says, “our soulish heart must prosper in order for us to have health and prosperity.” Jesus reacted to the cries of the disciples because they cried out in fear of the mind but out of faith in the heart. Their minds were in doubt and fear, but they believed in their hearts that when they cried out, God would answer them and honor His covenant. And, Jesus HAD to react to the covenant promise made by His Father to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their seed, the disciples – Jesus, Himself, being The Seed of Abraham.
It is important to understand we, as Believers, have a blood covenant with God through Jesus Christ. God made His covenant with Jesus, Who represents us. God did not make the covenant with us. He made it with Jesus. Why? Do you think we would be able to keep the covenant? Absolutely not. But Jesus can and did. This is why we are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37) Who loved us. “More than conquerors” means we get to enjoy the spoils of the victory of Jesus Christ (divine health, prosperity, protection, and deliverance), and we didn’t have to go through The Passion to receive it. It is a good and perfect gift given to us (James 1:17) by The Father. How marvelous!!
In closing, God only responds to the decrees, the supplication, and the intercessions of faith from the heart. If the disciples had not cried out in faith from the heart, Jesus would have passed right by them and kept going. Settle God’s Word in your heart by meditating therein day and night and hearing and hearing God’s Word as you declare it out loud with your mouth to your heart. Isaiah 55:11 tells us “God’s Word will not return void, but it will accomplish that which He pleases, and it will prosper in the thing whereto He sent it.” When we meditate God’s Word out loud, our Spiritual ears hear it, and pass it through to our soulish hearts. After “hearing and hearing The Word of God” in our hearts, it becomes faith in us. This means we know that we know that we know this Word is true, and that God is true to His Word. Yes, we can have all the promises of God in Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 1:20). When we reach for the promises in faith, Jesus says “yes and amen!”
Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers.
In Christ,
Larry