A Matter of Life and Death!

By Theodore Epp


James 3:1-6

Consider four parallels that a fire has with words spoken by the tongue: It hurts, it spreads, it consumes, but it can have a good use under control.

It only takes one false or bitter word to hurt deeply. In fact, the hurt may be so deep that recovery is impossible.

Just as fire spreads, so do spoken words. Some people are always willing to listen to destructive words about others, and they spread the words further so the damage becomes even more extensive.

Just as fire consumes, so do words spoken by a tongue that is out of control. Fire will destroy anything combustible that lies within its path. Words, too, have been known to destroy careers and lives. This is especially seen in the news media when political viewpoints are at stake.

We who know Jesus Christ as Saviour need to think solemnly about this matter so our tongues are not used to the disadvantage of others. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (NASB).

Think of it! The power of death and life reside in the tongue. And the last phrase of this verse especially applies to those who spread gossip: "Those who love it will eat its fruit."

"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles" (Prov. 21:23).

The Old Courage Again

Elijah 15 - The Old Courage Again

By F.B. Meyer


In order to understand the striking episode before us, we must think ourselves out of this dispensation, the main characteristic of which is gentle mercy, and imagine ourselves back in the age that ended at Calvary. It is very important to have a right understanding of our times. We must not judge the past ages by our own high standards of forgiveness and love, learned in the life and death of Jesus Christ, who is the last and supreme revelation of God. And we must not import into our own age methods of thought and action which were once permissible and necessary, because cognate to the spirit of their times.

This lesson was once impressively taught by our Lord to His disciples. Fresh from the transfiguration, He was on His way to the cross. For some reason He did not take the usual route along the eastern bank of the Jordan, but chose the more direct course through Samaria. Traveling thus, they had probably reached the spot, of which we are soon to speak, which was once scorched and blackened by the cinders of Ahaziah's troops. Below them, in the ravine, lay a village, to which they sent a deputation, asking for entertainment in the night, which was darkening over them. But religious bigotry triumphed {142} over natural feeling, and the request was absolutely refused. Oh, if they had known that He was about to purchase the redemption of a world and institute a religion in which there should be neither Samaritan nor Jew, but one great brotherhood in Himself -- they would surely have bade Him welcome and pressed Him with hospitality, even though the mighty transaction was to take place within the limits of their hated rival, Jerusalem! "And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But He turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of" (Luke 9:54). It was as if He had said, "Remember that in Me you have passed into a new epoch; the affairs of the kingdom of heaven will be managed on altogether different lines from those with which you are familiar. I shall not destroy the law and the prophets; but I am introducing a code which shall fulfill them after a new fashion. The new regime of mercy is already begun."

Let us clearly define to ourselves the difference in the dispensations. This is after the Spirit of the Son, dwelling in the bosom of the Father; that was after the spirit of the servant, clad in ardent zeal for the glory of God. This glows with the lambent fire of the Holy Ghost; that with the devouring fire of destruction. The keynote of this is salvation; of that, vindication. The Old Testament brims with striking teaching of the holiness and righteousness of God. God, our Father, was as merciful and long suffering then as now; and He gave many sweet glimpses of His loving heart. These glimpses became more numerous as the ages brought nigh the incarnation of the love of God. But men cannot take in too {143} many thoughts at once. Line must be on line, precept on precept. And so each preliminary age had some one special truth to teach, and that truth was accentuated and brought into prominence by special proofs and episodes. The age of the Mosaic Law, which shed its empire over the times of Elijah, was preeminently the era in which those awful and splendid attributes of the divine character -- God's holiness, justice, righteousness, and severity against sin -- stood out in massive prominence; as some of us have seen from the ancient capital of Switzerland, the long line of Bernese Alps rising above the plain in distant and majestic splendor, cold in the gray dawn or flushed with the light of morn and eve. It was only when those lessons had been completely learned that mankind was able to appreciate the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Critics -- who insensible have caught their conceptions of infinite love from the Gospels which they affect to despise -- find fault with the Old Testament because of its austere tones and its severe enactments. They point out many things inconsistent with the gentler spirit of our times. There is nothing surprising here. It could not have been otherwise in a gradual unfolding of the nature and character of God. The holy men who lived in those days had never heard the gentle voice of the Son of Man speaking the Sermon on the Mount. They had, however, very definite conceptions of the righteousness and holiness of God, and His swift indignation on sin. This inspired many of the Psalms in the hymnal of the Old Testament saints. This stimulated them to do deeds from which our gentler nature shrinks. But for this, Levi had never slain his brethren, or Joshua the Canaanites, Samuel had never hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord, and {144} Elijah had never presumed to slay the priests of Baal or call down fire from heaven to destroy the captains and their men.

And, as we read these deeds, we may well sink into quiet self-questioning. We need not fall into the extreme of Cromwell and his soldiers and introduce the speech or acts of those bygone days into our dealings with the enemies of truth and God. But we do well to ask whether -- granting that we forego the outward manifestation -- there is the same hatred of sin, the same zeal for the glory of God, the same inveterate enthusiasm for righteousness as there was in those days of force and decision and unswerving righteousness.

These considerations will help us to understand the narrative that awaits us, and will relieve the character of Elijah from the charge of vindictiveness and passion. Then we can consider, without compunction, the rising up again in his breast of something of his old undaunted courage and heroic bearing.

The story is as follows: Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, had succeeded to his father's throne and his father's sins. He shrank in cowardly fear from the hardihood of the camp and the dangers of the field, leaving Moab to rebel without attempting its re-subjugation. He led a self-indulgent life in his palace. But the shafts of death can find us equally in apparent security as amid threatening dangers. He was leaning on the balustrade that fence the flat roof of the palace when it suddenly gave way, and he overbalanced himself and was flung to the ground. Many are the balustrades on which we lean in hours of peril, which fail us to our hurt! When the first panic was over, the king was seized with intense longings to know how his illness would turn. In a strange freak, he sent messengers to one of the ancient shrines of Canaan, {145} which was dedicated to Baalzebub, the god of flies and the patron saint of medicine, who had some affinity with the Baal of his parents. This was a deliberate rejection of Jehovah, a daring choice of those ways which had brought the wrath of God on his father's house. It could not pass unnoticed, and Elijah was sent to meet his messengers as they were speeding across the plain of Esdraelon, with the announcement of certain death: "Thus saith the LORD... thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die" (2 Kings 1:16).

The servants did not know the stranger. They may have been imported Tyrians who had never mingled in the life of the nation, and who were ignorant of the mighty prophet of God. Years also had probably elapsed since his last public appearance. However, they were so impressed by that commanding figure and authoritative tone and so awed by that terrible reply, that they determined to return at once to the king. They found him lying on the divan covered with cushions, to which he had been carried from the scene of his accident. And they told him the reason of their speedy return. Ahaziah must have guessed who the man was that had dared to cross their path and send him such a message. But, to make assurance surer, he asked them to describe the mysterious stranger. They replied that he was a man of hair. Long and heavy tresses of unshorn hair hung heavily down upon his shoulders, his beard covered his breast and mingled with the unwrought skins that formed his only dress. It was enough. The king recognized him at once, and said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

Job: A Man Stripped Bare

By J. Vernon McGee


The Book of Job tells a true story but, since it comes out of the ancient Middle East, you may get the impression that it's far removed from life in modern America, that the story, and even Job's experience, are out of step. But it's very interesting that one of the most successful plays to appear on Broadway was a play entitled J.B. It's the story of the Book of Job brought up to date, and it illustrates that today people encounter the same problems that this man Job faced.

When the author of J.B., Archibald MacLeish, was asked why in the world he picked a biblical theme, he said, "There are those, I know, who will object that...the God of Job is God the Creator of the Universe, and science, they say, now knows that there is no such Creator." But he continued, "Einstein has told us that he had sometimes the sense that he was following, in his plumbings and probings of the universe, the track of an Intelligence far beyond the reaches of his own."

May I say to you today that this book tells out the story of a man who finally came into the presence of his Creator. The story is told in three scenes, actually. The first scene is set on earth in a peaceful valley. Job, I suppose, could have sung "How Peaceful Is My Valley." Then the scene shifts, and the curtain is raised for the second scene in heaven. But the scene where most of the story takes place is out on the ash heap, the ancient city's dump.

Now, the first scene introduces us to a man who was probably the most prosperous man of his day. These are the things that are said about him:

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and shunned evil. (Job 1:1)

This man lived in the land of Uz, and his name was Job. May I say, that's all we know about him, and that's precious little. To begin with, who knows where the land of Uz was? Now, you may have a map that locates it. If it's a reliable map, you'll notice it has a question mark after "Uz," and that means the geographer had to put it down somewhere, so he put it down -- somewhere. No one knows where the land of Uz really was.

The time? No one knows the time, either. It is the belief of a great many, including myself, that the Book of Job is the most ancient book in existence. It evidently comes from the time of the patriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There are several reasons to believe that. To begin with, there's no mention, for instance, of the Exodus; no mention of the nation Israel; no mention of the Mosaic Law. Also, the length of life corresponds to that of the patriarchs; and the fact that Job was the high priest in his family definitely places him in that period of history.

Why did God give this story to us with so little background information? I think the reason is that this man might have been Job, or he might have been J.B., or he might have been Mr. Jones from Chicago or Mr. Smith from San Francisco. He could be almost anyone, if you please. His was the experience that men have down here. It is a saga of suffering, but this book teaches more than that.

Although we have to put a question mark after the time and the place Job lived, we're told this man was perfect. What does God mean when He says that he's perfect? It means simply that he was a complete man, that he did all that God asked a man to do in that particular dispensation. In other words, this man offered the sacrifice that God required. It's one of the first things we find Job doing -- performing the part of a priest in his own family.

He was also a prosperous man. When we move into the valley in which he lives, there is a calmness. It's a scene of serenity and tranquility. In fact, it's almost too good to be true. It's the kind of scene you don't find down here very often or for very long.

But now we'll shift our attention to another breathtaking scene -- one of the most startling scenes imaginable. Here's where the Word of God differs from all other books. God gives us a glimpse of heaven, and only God can tell us what takes place up there! If man wrote this book, it would be speculation, merely a fairy story. But here we're allowed access into the very presence of God in heaven.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the

LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6)

Evidently, God's created intelligences are accountable to Him and have to turn in a report from time to time. But the most startling thing of all is the statement, "...and Satan came also among them."

How'd he get in? Who left the door open? What business does he have there? May I say this to you, even he has to give an account to God, because he's a creature. I bet he hates it, but he has to give an account. Every created thing must give an account to God -- including the creature, Satan, so he came also.

The thing that's amazing is that Satan has access to heaven. He really does. The fact of the matter is, Satan has never been in hell, because hell hasn't been opened yet to do business. It won't be opened until we get to the end of the Book of Revelation.

But today Satan has access to heaven, and in Job's day, he had to turn in his report. So God said to him, "Where've you been? What have you been doing?"

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (Job 1:7)

He has perfect freedom in this earth in which we live today. Peter says he goes up and down this earth "like a roaring lion...seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Satan today is the great enemy, our great enemy. He has perfect freedom in this world, for he took over the dominion that Adam lost in the Garden of Eden when he sinned.

And from that day when sin entered this world, it's doubtful whether the term "normal" could apply to any member of the human family. Sin has put man off the track and has derailed him physically, mentally, emotionally, volitionally, and spiritually.

It's small comfort trying to console ourselves with the thought that we are normal simply because we are average, especially when we discover how they arrive at "normality." Certain tests are given, and the place where the majority fall is called "normal." Those who are out ahead of the crowd are "super-normal." Those who don't quite keep up with the crowd are "sub-normal." The one out in front is a genius and the one behind may be feeble-minded, but both groups are deemed the abnormal folk. It's the crowd in the middle who are called normal.

It was the Quaker who, one night after reading the paper about the strange happenings of the day, said to his wife as he looked across the table, "Why, I think the whole world is peculiar but thee and me." Then, having thought a moment, he said, "Sometimes I think thee is a little peculiar."

It's impossible, therefore, to find a full-orbed personality, a well-balanced individual who's totally integrated. All of us are off-center in one direction or another.

May I say to you, therefore, that normal behavior is what most people do, and abnormal behavior is what people do who depart from the majority. Let me illustrate.

Most of the human family walk on two legs when they go down the streets of Los Angeles. That's considered the normal way. But, as far as I know, there is no law against getting down on all fours in order to walk. However, if you do that, chances are you will be labeled an abnormal person.

What we call normality today just means that we're average. But the question is: How do we know that the average, the majority, are normal?

May I say that this creature called man is frail, he's feeble, and he's faulty. It's easy to get him to depart from the pattern, to upset his equilibrium. A slight blow on the head may cause a traumatic condition, or he may have some great emotional disturbance. In either case, my beloved, we'd say he's "off." It's easy to cause man to "tip the scale" today. But God has been gracious to us since sin came into the world. He has placed around us certain "props" to make us stand upright.

The writer of Ecclesiastes says,

...God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many devices. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)

God has clothed man with an armor for his protection and security, and He makes it rain on the just and the unjust (see Matthew 5:45). He has given to all men, godly and ungodly alike, certain aids to help them stand. The wicked today get just as much sunshine as the godly, and those who are in rebellion against God have just as much air to breathe and they're just as healthy as God's people. God always wants to prop, to hold, man up.

Now the devil knows how to get at a man. Satan knows he can get to man if he can remove those props; if he can strip man of every vestage of aid; if he can take away the soft garment of his security; if he can upset man; if he can turn him upside down and inside out and destroy his morale and rearrange his thinking. He attempts to brainwash a man so he can turn him against God.

Therefore, God has always done something for those who are His own. Back in the Old Testament He put around His own a hedge to keep the devil out. Today He says, "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

But sometimes the devil is permitted to crash the gate. He's permitted to strip a man down to his naked soul -- and God permits that for a purpose.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant, Job...? (Job 1:8)

Why do you suppose God asked him that question? I think the reason is obvious. Satan had been sniffing around the hedge, trying everything he could to get to this man. He probably said to himself something like this: Job has the greatest influence for God in this area, and I've got to destroy that someway. He's too great of an influence for God!

That's still Satan's method. He tries to wreck the influence of those who are standing for God. And, believe me, he doesn't have any trouble finding tools.

In His sovereignty, God permitted the devil to attack this man Job, and the Book of Job presents that deliberate and determined stripping of a soul.

I'm not sure the Book of Job offers the solution. The fact of the matter is, I think you have to go to the New Testament to get the answer to the problem. But, may I say, that's where we'd expect to find the answers -- in the back of the book.

When I studied algebra in school, the place in my book that was mostly worn was not where the problems were, but back where the answers were given. I certainly gave the back of the book a workout.

May I say to you, my beloved, you'll find the problem stated in the Book of Job in the Old Testament; you'll find the solution when you come to the New Testament. God puts the answers "in the back of the book." The Old Testament, in one sense, is the most unsatisfactory book that's ever been written -- it's a book of expectation. The New Testament is the book of realization and satisfaction.

Watch Job as the devil brainwashed him, for Satan stripped Job of every vestige of covering that he had until that man stood yonder a naked soul in this universe, with no props, nothing to lean on at all.

Prop Number One

The first thing the devil did was strip Job of all the physical things of this life, material substance, what we consider the basic needs of man -- food, clothing, and shelter.

These are the three things that make big business succeed in America today, that which deals with the necessities of man. We're engaged in the business of building barns and having flocks and herds and lands -- and that's proper. May I say to you that God has given us richly all things to enjoy, and you will find that He's very careful to tell us this ability is something He has given to man.

But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God; for it is he who giveth thee power to get wealth.... (Deuteronomy 8:18)

Prosperity is God's gift, and there's nothing wrong in having money and the things it can buy. The danger, of course, is in depending and leaning upon these things. Yes, they're props.

America is more prosperous than any nation in the history of the world. I don't think there's anything wrong today in America having all these wonderful possessions that go back, my beloved, not to free enterprise but to the fact that this nation was built on the Word of God! We've departed from it, and the danger is that our prosperity is giving us a false security because we're leaning on "things."

It's quite interesting that this sort of brainwashing has percolated into the church. Have you ever noticed who's called upon to give a testimony for Christ today? It's some successful businessman, some professional person, or somebody who's an outstanding athlete or well-known in the entertainment world. It's gotten so the average fellow just can't give a testimony, because, in the thinking of the glamour-seeking crowd, it makes no difference whether he's been saved or not. Too many folk measure a man by some standard of worldly success before they consider him a success with God.

My friend, when so much attention is being given to material and physical things, I'm of the opinion that it would be good for a Christian in this hour to get off to himself alone and take an inventory to see whether he's trusting in these things or in God, whether he's leaning on his possessions or actually looking to God.

My beloved, Job lost it all! This man was the John D. Rockefeller and the Henry Ford of his day, wrapped in one package. He was the greatest man of the East. The devil moved in on him and stripped him of all material things. He went all the way from prosperity to poverty, and when this man lost all that he had, he was moved, but he was not "re-moved" from the foundation. When Job lost everything he had, he was disturbed, but he was not defeated by any means.

Prop Number Two

THE REALITIES OF HEAVEN

THE REALITIES OF HEAVEN

By A.W. Tozer


Much of the secularism and rationalism of our times dismisses the Christian view and teaching about heaven as "nothing more than hopeful thinking." But the Christian's promised hope of future blessedness is founded upon the fullest and plainest revelations of the Old and New Testaments. That it accords with the most sacred yearnings of the human breast does not weaken it, but serves rather to confirm the truth of it, since the One who made the heart might be expected also to make provision for the fulfillment of its deepest longings. God's promises are made to the Christian believer, who generally has difficulty picturing himself as inheriting such bliss as the Scriptures describe. 

The reason is not hard to discover, for the most godly Christian is the one who knows himself best, and no one who knows himself will believe that he deserves anything better than hell. But even justice is on his side, for it is written, "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

The Prints of the Nails

The Prints of the Nails

By J.W. McGarvey


There is a very beautiful and touching hymn the chorus of which terminates with the words, "I shall know Him by the prints of the nails in his hands." The author seems to have conceived that when she enters heaven she will see before her a great host of glorified beings, among whom she may not readily distinguish her Saviour. The thought seemingly arose from John's declaration that "we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." But she imagined that he bears in heaven, as he did when he appeared to doubting Thomas, the prints of the nails in his hands. The conception, whether true to the reality or not, is a very touching one; for it supposes our exalted Redeemer to continue through all eternity wearing the mark of the keenest pain which he endured in the work of our redemption.

We are apt, in considering the crucifixion, to be shocked most severely at the thrusting of the Roman spear into the Saviour's heart, and the stream of mingled blood and water which gushed forth. But that cruel deed gave him no pain. His life was already extinct. We shudder, too, at the driving of the iron spikes through his hands and his feet; and no living person can adequately conceive the torture inflicted when the tender nerves of these extremities were thus lacerated. But this pain, though excruciating beyond all expression, endured only for a few awful moments.

It was when the cross was erected and put in its place that his most extreme and enduring torture began. His whole weight was suspended on the two spikes which had been driven through his hands; and this continued for six dreadful hours. Well, then, does the hymn-writer select the prints of the nails in his hands as the badge of his supremest physical agony. If that badge shall be kept visible before us in heaven, how deep and constant will be the glow of gratitude in our hearts, and how constant and full the stream of praise that will flow from our lips!

I was present on a memorable occasion when the song referred to above was sung with a full heart by our sweetest singer of hymns at the [41] bedside of a woman who had been bedridden for nearly eight years with inflammatory rheumatism, but who was wonderfully cheerful and thankful amid all her sufferings. While hearing the song, the tears rolled down her cheeks in streams; and at the conclusion, as soon as she could command her voice, she said: "We cut up, and make a great to-do about our afflictions in this world; but what are all of our afflictions? They are only a bubble on the water to what our Saviour passed through. What a pity it is that we shall have to know him by the prints of the nails in his hands! But, thank God, he'll not have on that crown of thorns. He will have a crown with stars in it."

Yes, the prints of the nails in his hands will not be the only badge by which we shall know our Redeemer, no matter how many or how glorious the other great beings who shall make the heavens blaze with glory. We shall know him also by the starry crown upon his brow.

"The head that once was crowned with thorns,
Is crowned with glory now;
A royal diadem adorns the mighty victor's brow.
He's King of kings! Oh, hallelujah!
He's Lord of lords! Oh, praise his name!
The Lamb of God, who brought salvation,
Endured the cross with all its shame."

When we meet to remind one another of his dying love, and to show forth his death by the emblematic loaf and cup, let us never forget that, though we may be few and feeble, we are joining with a countless host to glorify him whose name is above every name and whose suffering endured for us is the chief glory of heaven. We are not alone. We are but adding our feeble hearts and voices to the noblest and sweetest anthem ever sung in heaven. We are honoring him who has made the solemn pledge, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

MY SHIELD

MY SHIELD

By Bible Names of God


Psal 3:3 But thou, O LORD, [art] a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. {for: or, about}

David was a man of war and appreciated the value of a shield against assaults of the enemy. Listen to his testimony: "Thou art my Shield!" What a note of confidence! He alone is sufficient to shield us from Satan and his cohorts --- foes within and foes without. It is in such conditions that we need to rejoice in Him Who is our "Shield". How He loves to answer our call and calm our troubled souls! Let us lift up our heads that we may catch His smile of love.

Dear Lord, we lay our heads upon Thy shoulder and rejoice in Thy protection. Shield us this day for Thy Name's sake. Amen

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea--Mat 14:25

  George H. Morrison - Devotional Sermons

      Jesus Walking on the Sea
     
      And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea--Mat 14:25
     
      Jesus Felt the Necessity of Being Alone with God
     
      It had been a day of trial and stress for Jesus, and when the sun set, the danger was not over. There were terrible risks in that enthusiastic crowd that surged and swayed upon the mountain side. The miracle of His feeding the five thousand had made a powerful impression. It had struck deep into these fickle hearts. And if the cry once rang along the hillside "Jesus is King!" who knew where the echoes of that cry might end? Christ recognised the peril of the hour. He felt the supreme necessity of prayer. It was a moment in the Master's life when His greatest desire was to be alone with God. Full of that quiet authority that moved the crowd as wonderfully as it calmed the sea, Jesus constrained the disciples to depart, and sent the throng away. How they would talk as they travelled homeward! How gladly, as the first gusts of storm swept down on them, would they descry the gleaming of their cottage windows! I see the children plucking their mothers' robes, and crying, "Mother, where is the Teacher now? We left Him on the hill--has He no home?" Perhaps some of them would learn in after days that it was home and heaven and life for Jesus to be alone with God.
     
      A Storm Breaks Out to Teach the Disciples Dependence
     
      Meantime the storm had broken. The clouds swept out the stars, the wind came whistling through the glens and corries, the sea ran high. And out in the midst of it toiled the disciples, Masterless, shelterless, helpless. It was a wild night after a weary day. It was a strange fulfilment of their promised rest (Mar 6:31). And yet I question if any holiday among the hills could have taught them as much as did that unmanageable boat. That very evening they had been ordering their Master (Mat 14:15). They had been giving Him advice about five thousand men. They had been eager to manage that great crowd for Jesus--and now they cannot manage their little craft! It was a very blessed and very humbling storm. It brought the disciples to their place again. It printed upon their hearts, as in a picture, that the secret of Christian power is dependence.
     
      They Wanted Jesus and Yet They Did Not Recognise Him
     
      And so the night wore on, and every wave that dashed into the boat deepened their need of Jesus. The crowds were home now, the children were asleep, and every light by the lake side was out. Then with the dawn came Christ. They spied a form, moving along the ridges of the sea, now lost for a moment in the trough of the waves, now dimmed by the showers of spray. And though they had longed for Jesus, and prayed for Jesus, and this was Jesus, they did not know Him, and cried out for fear. Sometimes we get the very thing we ask, and we do not recognise it when it comes. Sometimes we win the very help we need, and we are just as troubled as before. They cried, It is a spirit! The demon of the tempest was abroad, and Jesus--where was He? Who can describe their joy when the familiar voice rang over the white crests, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid!"
     
      One Stood Out
     
      Now there are times when a man's character is revealed, and one of these times is often that of storm. When we find Jesus sleeping in the tempest, it teaches us His perfect trust in God. When we rehearse Paul's conduct in the shipwreck, it opens a window into that noble heart. So here, from all the disciples, one stands out; and amid the spray, and in the driving wind of that wild morning, there falls a shaft of light on Simon Peter. It is Peter who cries across the storm, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee." It is Peter who flings himself upon the waves to get to Christ. And it is Peter who begins to sink, and would have gone to the depths but for the hand of Jesus. There is the strength and there is the weakness of that hero. There is the story of his life condensed. When the wind ceased, and the ship's company knelt down to worship Jesus, none felt so deeply as Peter that this was the Son of God.
     
      The Long Delays of Heaven
     
      Among the many lessons of this miracle we shall note three. First remark the long delays of heaven. The night must have seemed endless to the twelve. Hour after hour dragged on, and hour after hour brought no word of Jesus. And it was not till the Roman guard in Caesarea had changed for the fourth watch, that the beloved voice was heard over the waves. Had they lost heart and hope? Did they suspect that Jesus had forgotten them? We are always ready to think ill of God, because of God's great method of delay. But of this be sure that when our need is greatest, God is closest. He may delay, He will not disappoint. We must be schooled out of our impatience somehow. We must be trained in waiting and in trusting. It was not only for a night of prayer that Jesus lingered. It was to teach His own that patience of hope which was to win such triumphs for the Church.
     
      Christ Comes by Unexpected Roads
     
      I see, too, that Christ comes by unexpected roads. That night the twelve were longing for their Master, but they never dreamed that He would come that way. If any sail went beating up the lake, their hopes rose, for Jesus might be there. But even Peter, most sanguine of them all, had never guessed that the waves would be His street. Yet by that unexpected avenue the King approached, and on unlikeliest highways He is coming still. By what strange roads Christ enters human hearts! By what strange ways He comes into our homes! A word, a visit of a stranger perhaps, a sickness or a death--and He is here. And it is all so different from what we looked for, that we do not recognise it is the Lord. There are ten thousand thoroughfares for Jesus. His ways of ingress into human souls are endless. Let me not bind Him. Let me not limit Him either to my preconceptions or my prayers. He puts to shame my wellworn offers of salvation, and comes to men by unexpected roads.
     
      We Sink When We See Nothing But the Storm
     
      And lastly, this meets me in the story: we sink when we see nothing but the storm. When Peter looked to Jesus he was safe. But perhaps a wave came and towered like a wall before him, and for the moment he could not see his Lord. He saw the waves, he felt the spray, he heard the wind. But he looked and he saw no face, no arm, no hand, and in that moment Peter began to sink. Do we still detect that presence in the tempest? Do we discern the presence and the love of God in the confusion of our common day? When we see nothing but the storm, we sink. When we see Christ enthroned in it, we triumph.