CROSSING OVER (without Johnathon Edwards)

I'm currently preparing a sermon based on Joshua 1: 1-9, about moving forward, and how God told the Hebrew people how to move forward in to the Promised Land.

While preparing for this sermon I remembered the times Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee from Israel over to the gentile lands.

Every time Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee, the disciples were faced with a challenge on the sea and had to overcome it before reaching the gentile side. but the thing is that when Jesus and the disciples got passed the challenge, and reached the gentile side of the Sea of Galilee, something amazing or miraculous happened.

It was in these times of challenge that the disciples learnt something about Jesus or faith that took them to the next level.

This got me to thinking...

A dangerous thing i know, but...

Isn't this the same in our lives?

So often we are faced with challenges as we try to move from on thing to something new, and i wonder how many times we give up, and go back, not persevering, and miss out on not only learning something new about ourselves, or about God or about our faith in Him, but miss out on something totally amazing at the other side of the challenge?


In Mark Chapter 4 and 5 we see Jesus and the disciples crossing over the Sea of Galilee, to the Gerasenes region.

While crossing over we see Jesus taking a nap in the back of the boat while the disciples panicking in the boat as waves crashed over it and threaten to swamp it. Understandably distressed the disciple wake Jesus up (possibly to see if he can swim??) and ask Him whether he cares that they are about to die. Jesus rebukes the wind and waves and asks the disciples why they were afraid, and asks them what level of faith they really have. The disciples are amazed at what Jesus has done. Then when they reach the Gerasenes Jesus casts out a whole heap of demons from a bloke who had been wandering around a cemetery for years, completely under the control of these demons.

Then in Mark chapter 6, we see the disciples set out on the Sea of Galilee alone, leaving Jesus to pray by himself on the mountain. As night began to settle around them we find the disciples being battered by the wind and the waves in their boat on the Sea of Galilee. The bible tells us that in the early hours of the morning Jesus walked across the water to the disciples in their boat. Peter got out of the boat at the call of Jesus and began to walk toward Him. It was only when Peter began to look around him (taking his focus off Jesus) and focus on the wind and waves that he began to sink. This is where Jesus reaches out to save Peter. Then, once back on the boat, the wind and waves calm down and Jesus and the disciples head for Genesaret where many sick people are healed.

So what can we learn from these disciples?

First: don't get into a boat without Jesus, and make sure He is awake. Or alternatively change can be difficult if Jesus isn't on board.

Second: keep focused on Jesus, otherwise sinking is a very real possibility.

Third: if you do think that your sinking, call out to Jesus for help; he wont let you drown.

Fourth: make the effort to get through the hard times to discover the good stuff at the other end.

In both of these stories we see the disciples trying to go it alone, and failing miserably, we see the disciples calling out for Jesus to help, we see Jesus intervene, we see things get better and then we see miraculous events on the other side of the sea of Galilee.

What are you going through at the moment?

Are you trying to do it by yourself?

Is Jesus on board, or is this not where you are meant to be going?

Have you called out to Jesus and asked Him to help you?

Are you ready for the miracles on the other side?